Ryanair has announced it will contest claims made by a passenger who suffered severe injuries when a window broke on one of its aircraft during flight. The incident involved Ljubisa Karović, a 61-year-old Serbian businessman, who was aboard a Boeing 737 traveling from Greece to Germany in July. According to Karović’s legal representatives, the sudden depressurization caused by the window shattering resulted in his head and right arm being drawn through the opening before he was pulled back inside.
Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary addressed the dispute at the airline’s annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday, stating that while Karović was “certainly sucked towards the window” due to the dramatic circumstances, he was “not out the window.” O’Leary emphasized that the passenger remained restrained by his seatbelt and asserted that the airline does not believe any part of the man’s body actually exited the aircraft. The executive noted that a thorough investigation is underway and the airline will await findings from the relevant authorities.
The National Transportation Safety Board in the US is leading the investigation into the incident, with support from Boeing, engine manufacturer GE, and Ryanair. In interviews, Karović described blacking out during the event, while his wife recounted witnessing the emergency unfold and credited an unnamed male passenger with assisting in his rescue by attempting to block the damaged window with luggage.
Separately, shareholders at the AGM voted on O’Leary’s compensation package, valued at €150m, which includes stock options contingent on meeting financial targets and his continued leadership through 2032. Approximately one-third of shareholders voted against the deal, though it received overall approval by a roughly 2-to-1 margin. The meeting also addressed ongoing disputes between Ryanair leadership and other aviation industry figures regarding recent operational disruptions affecting UK air traffic.
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