Malta-registered Ryanair Boeing 737-800 9H-QAV during ground operations, used to illustrate aviation safety after a separate aircraft incident.

A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration 9H-QAV, stands on an airport apron during a busy aircraft turnaround. The Malta-registered jet is operated by Malta Air within the Ryanair group and carries the familiar white, blue and yellow Ryanair livery. Passengers are boarding using mobile stairs while ground workers, baggage carts, service vehicles, an aircraft tug and loading equipment surround the plane beneath a bright, partly cloudy sky. The photograph can be used as an illustrative image for the serious Ryanair incident of 10 July 2026, although this is not the aircraft involved. The affected aircraft was Malta Air Boeing 737-800 registration 9H-QEU, operating from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany. Shortly after take-off, the aircraft experienced an engine-related event and debris reportedly struck the fuselage, damaging or dislodging a passenger window and causing rapid cabin decompression. A passenger seated beside the damaged window was partially pulled through the opening. His wife and other passengers helped prevent him from being drawn farther outside, and the aircraft returned safely to Thessaloniki. The passenger was taken to hospital with significant injuries. Investigators subsequently examined whether foreign-object or engine-component damage caused the window failure, while Ryanair defended the condition and maintenance of its fleet. The incident renewed attention on aircraft maintenance, engine integrity, cabin-window strength, emergency crew procedures and the importance of passengers keeping seatbelts fastened whenever seated. It also highlighted the exceptionally rare but potentially severe consequences of sudden decompression aboard a commercial passenger aircraft. This image is suitable for editorial coverage of Ryanair, Malta Air, Boeing 737 safety, aviation investigations, passenger emergencies, airline maintenance, airport ground operations, low-cost air travel and European commercial aviation.