Ryanair boss disputes passenger's claim he was sucked through a broken window: 'No part of his body got out'

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has disputed a passenger's claim that his head and arm were sucked through a shattered plane window.

The airline chief insisted 'no part of his body got out' after Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was severely injured when the window beside him shattered on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany in July. 

Mr Karovic's lawyer has said the Serbian businessman had to be hauled back inside the aircraft after his head and right arm were sucked through the window during the sudden depressurisation.

But O'Leary rejected that account on Thursday, saying Mr Karovic was 'certainly sucked towards the window' but did not go through it.

'He wasn't partially out the window. Part of his face didn't get out the window,' the Ryanair chief executive said after the airline's annual general meeting in Dublin, according to The Guardian. 

'We don't think any part of his body got out the window, but he was certainly sucked in very dramatic circumstances towards the window.' 

O'Leary said Mr Karovic had been wearing his seatbelt and added that Ryanair would dispute claims that any part of his body went through the opening.

He stressed that he was 'not trying to downplay' the incident and said the airline would await the outcome of an investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has disputed a passenger's claim that his head and arm were sucked through a shattered plane window, insisting 'No part of his body got out'

Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was severely injured when the window beside him shattered on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany in July

Mr Karovic has maintained that his seatbelt helped keep him inside the aircraft after he blacked out, while his wife Svetlana said another passenger helped drag him back in.

She told The Guardian that she saw her husband 'half in and out of the plane' and said the passenger desperately tried to block the broken window, first with a bag and then with a suitcase.

Mr Karovic was sitting in seat 11F onboard the flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, when the window shattered about 20 minutes after takeoff on July 10.

It's understood broken engine parts smashed the cabin window while the plane was flying at 16,000ft, triggering a sudden cabin decompression.

Footage obtained by 60 Minutes Australia showed passengers gripping oxygen masks to their faces as shattered glass flew around the cabin and wind rushed inside.

The video also showed those around Mr Karovic as they attempted to hold him in place. It's believed the struggle to hold on to him lasted for up to two minutes until he was narrowly dragged back inside.

Eleni Kyranou, 33, was among those who held onto Mr Karovic with all her might.

'I did what I could to help a person, to save a life,' she told the program.

'But it still haunts me, the images and the sound has stayed with me.'

Sofia Lavou managed to film the horrific incident. She'd believed the plane was going to crash and hoped the footage would help bring closure.

'I said, 'If I'm going down, at least I will have some proof of what happened',' Ms Lavou said.

The Daily Mail spoke to Mr Karovic two weeks after the ordeal, during which he had spent six days in hospital.

He said: 'I only remember hearing the explosion, not much else. I can remember sitting in my seat and was looking forward to seeing my brother because the whole family was getting together to surprise him for his 60th birthday.

'I fell asleep quite quickly as I usually do on flights. Then there was this deafening explosion, which startled me.'

Pictured: Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary speaks at a press conference on the current situation in civil aviation in connection with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, in Warsaw, Poland March 3, 2026

Ljubisa Karovic (pictured being held by passengers) was half-sucked out of a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany on July 10

A large hole can be seen in the side of the engine casing. Travellers feared they 'wouldn't make it' as the jet flew for around 30 minutes with the damaged window

Witnesses describe him as dangling diagonally out of the aircraft 'like Superman flying through the air', as the wind lashed his face, contorting it out of shape as if he was a cartoon character.

Ljubisa said he now suffers with acute neck and shoulder pain, and had to wear a neck brace for six weeks. Doctors warned him that he may require an operation if the pain continues.

He was also treated for burns to his face and right hand and arm caused by the high velocity wind lashing his upper torso.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US is leading the investigation into the incident.

The move is in line with international aviation rules, as the Boeing jet was assembled in America.

A preliminary report from the agency has found the fan blade broke – though the reason for this has not yet been determined.

Maintenance records show the blades in the right engine had been inspected in May 2026 and November 2025, with no damage found.

But flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the previous year, according to the NTSB.

Bird remains were found after two of them.

Ryanair in August said it would not comment further until the NTSB investigation is complete.