Ryanair is preparing to dispute claims that a passenger's body was partially pulled through a shattered cabin window during a July flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, the airline's chief executive said Thursday.
Michael O'Leary told reporters after Ryanair's annual shareholder meeting in Dublin that 61-year-old Serbian businessman Ljubisa Karović "certainly moved violently toward the window" after it shattered mid-flight on July 10, but insisted no part of his body left the aircraft.
"We don't believe any part of his body went out of the window, but he was certainly dragged very dramatically toward the window," Mr. O'Leary said, noting that Mr. Karović remained belted into his seat throughout.
Mr. Karović's account, relayed through his lawyer and in an interview with the Guardian, differs sharply.
He said sudden decompression pulled his head and right arm outside the plane before fellow passengers hauled him back in.
His wife, Svetlana, said her husband was "half in and half out of the plane" for several minutes, and that another passenger helped pull him inside before wedging the broken window shut with a suitcase.
Mr. O'Leary said Ryanair would await findings from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating alongside Boeing, engine maker GE and the airline.
The NTSB has since pushed back on Ryanair's public messaging, saying it has not ruled out aircraft age or maintenance failures as contributing factors and accusing Mr. O'Leary of discussing the probe before its conclusion — a claim the airline denies downplaying.