A serious incident aboard a Ryanair Boeing 737 has become the subject of a dispute after CEO Michael O’Leary challenged claims that a passenger was partly pulled out of a broken aircraft window during a flight from Greece to Germany. The incident occurred in July on Ryanair flight 1879, operated by the airline’s Malta Air subsidiary, while the aircraft was climbing after departing Thessaloniki for Memmingen near Munich.
According to reports surrounding the incident, Serbian passenger Milan Karović was sitting beside the damaged window when a sudden decompression event caused him to be pulled violently toward the opening. Early accounts described an extraordinarily frightening scene in which his wife, Svetlana, held onto his legs to prevent him from being pulled farther from the aircraft.
The precise circumstances remain disputed. O’Leary has now said that Karović was “certainly sucked towards the window”, but insisted that he did not actually pass through it. Speaking to reporters after Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin, the CEO said the airline would challenge the passenger’s account and would await the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation before reaching a final conclusion.
Michael O’Leary Challenges The Passenger’s Account
O’Leary’s comments focus heavily on the distinction between being pulled toward an aircraft window and actually being expelled through it. He said Ryanair does not believe that any part of Karović’s body passed outside the Boeing 737, despite acknowledging that the passenger was drawn toward the broken window under extremely dramatic circumstances.
The Ryanair CEO also rejected suggestions that the airline was attempting to minimize what happened. The incident nevertheless left Karović with significant injuries, including neck and shoulder problems, and the psychological consequences appear to have been substantial. Ryanair has reportedly been communicating with the passenger’s lawyer regarding compensation, although O’Leary does not expect the case to result in a multimillion-euro settlement or a class-action lawsuit.
Ryanair has declined to comment in detail while the investigation remains ongoing. The NTSB’s eventual findings could therefore prove important in determining exactly what happened inside the aircraft and whether the passenger’s description is consistent with the physical evidence.
What The Passenger And His Wife Said Happened
The passenger’s account differs considerably from O’Leary’s characterization. Speaking to The Guardian after leaving hospital, Karović’s wife Svetlana said her husband was “half in and half out of the plane” after the window broke. Her description portrays an emergency that was not simply a case of a passenger being pushed against a damaged window.
Svetlana also described how another passenger attempted to help. According to her account, an unidentified Albanian passenger used a suitcase to block the opening. Another attempt involved using a bag, but the bag was immediately pulled out of the aircraft, illustrating the force associated with the airflow through the damaged area.
Karović himself has said that he blacked out during the incident. He believes his seatbelt ultimately helped keep him inside the aircraft, potentially preventing an even more catastrophic outcome.
Bird Strike Investigation Could Explain The Broken Window
The investigation has also raised the possibility that the incident was connected to a bird strike during the aircraft’s climb from Thessaloniki. Investigators reportedly found bird remains in an engine, adding an important potential clue to the sequence of events.
If a bird strike contributed to the incident, investigators will need to establish whether it caused damage directly, contributed to an abnormal event during climb, or was coincidental. The condition of the aircraft, the damaged window, cabin-pressure data, passenger injuries and physical evidence will all be relevant to reconstructing what happened.
For Karović, however, the consequences extend beyond the technical investigation. He has described the sound of the explosion as something that continues to disturb his sleep, while his head and neck pain have persisted. His lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, has characterized his survival in stark terms, saying his client is “alive by mistake.”
Ryanair Compensation Dispute Adds Another Dimension
The controversy emerged just after Ryanair’s annual general meeting, where shareholders also considered O’Leary’s highly valuable compensation package. Around one-third of shareholders reportedly voted against the proposed deal, which could have a maximum value of €150 million ($174 million).
The package includes options to purchase 10 million Ryanair shares at €26.70 each, subject to demanding performance conditions. O’Leary would need to generate annual profits of €4 billion or see Ryanair’s share price remain above €42 for 28 consecutive days. He would also have to remain CEO until 2032.
The timing has placed the passenger dispute alongside wider scrutiny of O’Leary’s leadership and remuneration. Yet the central question remains factual rather than financial: how far was the passenger actually pulled toward or through the broken Boeing 737 window?
Until investigators publish their conclusions, both accounts remain part of the story. What is not disputed is that a violent event occurred, a passenger suffered serious physical and psychological consequences, and the circumstances aboard the Ryanair-operated aircraft require a precise reconstruction rather than assumptions.
