US aviation investigators are examining an incident in July involving a shattered window on a Ryanair Boeing 737 aircraft operating a flight from Greece to Germany. Passenger Ljubisa Karović, a 61-year-old Serbian businessman, sustained severe injuries in the incident. According to his legal representation, the sudden depressurization caused Karović’s head and right arm to be drawn through the broken window before he was pulled back inside the aircraft.
Ryanair leadership has contested this characterization of events. During the airline’s annual general meeting in Dublin, CEO Michael O’Leary stated the airline would dispute the claim that any portion of Karović’s body exited the aircraft. O’Leary acknowledged that Karović was “certainly sucked towards the window” but asserted he did not pass through the opening. The executive emphasized that the passenger was restrained by a seatbelt and stated the airline would challenge any assertion that body parts extended outside the aircraft once the National Transportation Safety Board investigation concludes. The NTSB is leading the investigation alongside Boeing, engine manufacturer GE, and Ryanair itself.
Karović’s account, shared in a separate interview, indicated his seatbelt prevented him from being completely drawn out before he lost consciousness. His wife reported that an unidentified male passenger, believed to be Albanian, assisted in pulling Karović back into the cabin and attempted to seal the window opening using a bag and subsequently a suitcase.
Separately, Ryanair’s leadership faced shareholder scrutiny regarding executive compensation. Approximately one-third of shareholders voted against O’Leary’s compensation package valued at €150m, though the proposal was ultimately approved by roughly a two-to-one margin. The package would provide options on 10 million shares contingent on meeting profit and share price targets and O’Leary remaining with the carrier through 2032.
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