Ryanair's chief executive has responded to viral claims that a passenger was partially sucked out of a plane window after it became damaged during a flight from Greece to Germany.
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The incident involved 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic during a July 10 flight operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air.
It was said that a window became "dislodged inflight." Karovic, his partner and his lawyer allege that this caused him to be partially pulled headfirst outside the aircraft.
His lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, previously claimed that Karovic "was hurled out of the window from his chest up and immediately lost consciousness" after the cabin lost pressure.
Ryanair CEO Responds to Viral Mid-Flight Window Incident
Speaking on The Travel Expert podcast, Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary disputed claims that Karovic was sucked out of the aircraft.
O'Leary acknowledged the incident was traumatic for those onboard. But he did reject reports describing the passenger as being pulled through the window.
"The window shatters, the oxygen masks come down, the pilots immediately take the aircraft steeply down to a non-pressurised altitude so it is a very upsetting, traumatic experience for everybody on board," O'Leary said.
"We're very sorry to the passenger who was seated in row 11F. He did not, however, get sucked out the window and all these kind of nonsensical claims."
Reports state that Karovic suffered burns and bruises to his right arm, stretching from his armpit to his chest. He is also expected to wear a neck brace for at least six weeks while recovering.
Passenger and Wife Describe Terrifying Ordeal
The Boeing 737 was traveling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
The incident forced the pilots to make an emergency landing.
Karovic's wife, Svetlana Grkovic, previously said the aircraft had been airborne for around 30 minutes before the window was damaged.
"It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window where my husband, Ljubisa, was sitting. Luckily, he was strapped in," she said.
Grkovic also claimed that her husband's body was "sticking out of the plane". She alleged that the ordeal lasted for around two minutes, during which he was partially outside the aircraft.
Following the incident, O'Leary initially said a "foreign object" had damaged the aircraft's engine.
He also noted that while the Boeing 737 was 18 years old, its engine had been fully serviced and overhauled within the previous two years.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has since launched an investigation into the incident.
