Passenger Ljubisa Karović was reportedly sucked out of the plane midair while wife Svetlana Grković pulled him back on a Ryanair plane.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has disputed a passenger’s claim that he was partially sucked out of a plane after a window shattered mid-flight, saying the man was “certainly sucked towards the window” but never actually went through it. O’Leary said Karović remained secured in his seat throughout the incident. “He was belted into the seat,” the Ryanair chief said, adding that the airline would “certainly at the end of the process” dispute that the passenger or “any part of his anatomy” went through the window. O’Leary also said Karović would be entitled to “some compensation”, but disputed claims that the incident could justify a multimillion-euro payout.
The passenger reportedly suffered serious neck and shoulder injuries in the incident and was hospitalized. He stressed that he was not trying to downplay what happened and that Ryanair would await the findings of investigators. O’Leary made the comments on Thursday as he addressed reporters following Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin, where he said the airline would challenge the passenger’s account while awaiting the outcome of a US investigation into the incident.
The dispute over exactly what happened inside the cabin is therefore likely to depend on the findings of the NTSB investigation.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. Boeing, which manufactured the aircraft, and GE, the engine manufacturer, are also involved. A preliminary investigation found that a fan blade from the aircraft’s right engine broke during the climb shortly after takeoff. Debris from the engine struck the aircraft and shattered the passenger window.