A passenger was nearly pulled out of a Ryanair aircraft operated by Malta Air after a window pane shattered during a flight from Greece to Germany.

The 61-year-old Serbian passenger reportedly ended up with his head outside the Boeing 737 following an engine failure.

His wife prevented him from being pulled completely out of the aircraft by holding onto his legs.

The man was later taken to hospital suffering from shock and burns caused by the cold air outside the plane.

The incident occurred on Ryanair flight FR1879, which was scheduled to travel from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany.

The flight was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair.