The incident occurred on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. A window on the plane broke, and Ljubisa Karovic was blown out by the pressure outside.
He was sitting right by the window, his wife Svetlana Grkovic now tells the Greek media company ERT, according to European news agencies.
The air suction was so strong that the man's shoulder was pushed out through the narrow window, but Grkovic, who was sitting next to him, managed to hold on to his legs.
If Karovic had not been wearing his seat belt, his wife and other fellow passengers would not have had time to save him, according to Grkovic.
The plane was then able to return to Thessaloniki, where Karovic is now being treated for serious injuries. Ryanair has confirmed the incident, but exactly what happened is unclear. Grkovic describes it as an engine coming loose and blowing a hole in the fuselage by the window.
The flight was operated by Malta Air, which is now wholly owned by Ryanair.
