Ryanair has disputed a passenger’s claim that part of his body was sucked through a shattered aircraft window during a flight from Greece to Germany.
Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was severely injured after the window beside him broke on a Boeing 737 in July, causing sudden depressurisation.
Karovic’s lawyer said his head and right arm were sucked through the window before he was pulled back inside.
However, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary challenged that account Thursday.
“He wasn’t partially out the window. Part of his face didn’t get out the window. 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 after Ryanair’s annual general meeting.
Karovic told The Guardian he believed his seatbelt kept him inside the aircraft after he blacked out.
His wife, Svetlana, said she saw him “half in and out of the plane” and another passenger helped pull him back.
O’Leary said Ryanair was “not trying to downplay it” and would await the findings of the investigation.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation alongside Ryanair, Boeing and engine manufacturer GE.
