Ryanair has disputed claims that a passenger was partially sucked out of an aircraft window during a flight between Greece and Germany in July. The airline’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, addressed the incident at Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin, clarifying details about the event involving passenger Ljubisa Karovic, 61.

The incident occurred on July 10 on a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, when a cabin window broke after a fan blade in the plane’s engine fractured shortly after takeoff. According to preliminary findings from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), engine fragments struck and compromised the cabin window. Mr. Karovic was injured as a result.

Mr. Karovic’s wife, Svetlana Grkovic Maksimovic, and other passengers previously reported that he was partially pulled through the damaged window, with his head and right shoulder sucked out, causing him to lose consciousness multiple times. She described a loud “explosion” followed by debris being pulled across the cabin and out of the opening.

While acknowledging that Mr. Karovic was “certainly sucked towards the window,” Mr. O’Leary rejected claims that any part of his body protruded outside. He stated that the passenger was restrained in his seatbelt throughout the incident and that Ryanair intends to contest reports suggesting he was partially expelled from the aircraft. “He didn’t get out the window,” O’Leary said. “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.”

Mr. O’Leary confirmed that Mr. Karovic sustained injuries and noted that the airline was not attempting to minimize the seriousness of the situation. The NTSB continues to investigate the cause and circumstances surrounding the event. Ryanair is cooperating with the investigation alongside Boeing and General Electric, the engine manufacturer.

Regarding any immediate safety measures following the incident, O’Leary indicated that no additional checks or repairs have been implemented to date. “There’s nothing we can do at the moment,” he said, emphasizing that the airline’s role is to participate fully in the ongoing examination until the NTSB releases its final findings.