Ryanair has stated it will contest claims that a passenger’s body was drawn outside the aircraft when a window failed on one of its planes in July. Ljubisa Karović, a 61-year-old Serbian businessman, sustained serious injuries when the window adjacent to his seat broke during a flight from Greece to Germany. According to his legal representation, the sudden loss of cabin pressure resulted in Karović’s head and right arm being pulled through the opening before he was retrieved.
Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary acknowledged that Karović was “certainly sucked towards the window” but disputed the characterization that any part of his body extended beyond the aircraft structure. O’Leary emphasized that the passenger remained restrained by his seatbelt and stated the airline would challenge the account at the conclusion of the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the accident investigation in coordination with Boeing, engine manufacturer GE, and Ryanair.
In media accounts, Karović indicated his seatbelt prevented him from exiting the aircraft as he lost consciousness. His wife described witnessing the incident and credited an unidentified male passenger with assisting in his rescue by using luggage to block the damaged window opening after an initial attempt with a bag proved unsuccessful.
Separately, at Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday, approximately one-third of shareholders voted against O’Leary’s compensation package valued at €150m. The deal, finalized over the summer, includes options on 10 million shares contingent on achieving profit and share price targets while remaining with the carrier through 2032. The resolution ultimately passed with roughly two-to-one approval.
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