NTSB says Ryanair emergency on Boeing jet due to right engine issue

Lauren Rosenblatt and Alexis Weisend, The Seattle Times on Jul 10, 2026

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A Ryanair Boeing 737 NG plane flying from Greece to Germany turned back for an emergency landing after an issue with its right engine, a cabin decompression event and a broken passenger window, according to safety regulators and the airline.

The Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, made an emergency landing Friday morning in Greece “shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight,” according to a Ryanair statement.

The plane landed safely, with one passenger receiving medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki, according to the airline. Ryanair did not respond to The Seattle Times’ request to confirm how the passenger was injured.

The aircraft involved in the incident was registered and operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair.

Local media outlets in Greece reported that passengers heard a loud sound followed by the shattering of a window and oxygen masks dropping. Witnesses reported seeing the head and shoulders of a Serbian man in his 60s hanging out of the window before other passengers pulled him back in.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday it was notified by the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Committee of the Republic of North Macedonia that a Ryanair Boeing 737 flight turned back “due to a right engine issue and cabin decompression.”

Following international aviation safety guidelines, the Republic of North Macedonia will lead the investigation because the incident likely occurred there, the NTSB said.

The U.S. safety board has appointed an accredited representative and is prepared to assist the investigation, along with advisers from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and engine maker General Electric Aerospace, the NTSB added.

The FAA said Friday it is prepared to support the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority and the NTSB in the investigation.

When asked for comment, a Boeing spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident involving Flight FR1879 and is in contact with Ryanair.

The airplane was a Boeing 737 Next Generation model delivered in 2008. Boeing originally built its 737 NG in Renton, Washington, and stopped commercial production in 2019 as it focused on its newest iteration of the 737 family, the 737 MAX. Boeing still produces some 737 NG planes as a derivative for one of its defense products.

Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget airline, operates just over 400 Boeing 737 NG planes, as well as 210 737 MAX 8-200 “Gamechanger” aircraft, according to its website. It also has placed an order for 300 new Boeing 737 MAX 10 planes, the largest variant of the 737 MAX family that has yet to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Following the incident Friday morning, speculation swirled around what went wrong. Some outlets reported that part of the plane’s engine broke off and smashed into the window. Ryanair did not respond to The Seattle Times’ request to confirm or deny these reports.

In 2018, a passenger died on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG flight when a piece of the engine’s fan blade broke off and pierced a window in the cabin. Boeing, following suggestions from federal regulators, redesigned the engine casing for its 737 NG fleet after the fatal incident.