After an Australian couple complained that they were made to sit next to a corpse aboard a Qatar Airways flight, Qatar Airways said its crew acted “appropriately”.
The airline told the BBC on Friday that an internal review concluded its crew “acted quickly, appropriately, and professionally” when they placed the body of a woman who died mid-flight next to an Australian couple.
“Passengers were accommodated to other seats, and a crew member was sitting at all times with the deceased passenger for the duration of the flight until landing in Doha,” its statement said.
The airline said that it has provided support and compensation to the deceased’s family and other passengers who were “directly affected” by the incident.
A passenger had died mid-air on the 14-hour-long flight from Melbourne to Doha, after which the crew made the blanket-draped corpse sit next to the couple.
“They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn’t get her through the aisle,” passenger Mitchell Ring told Australian network Nine News.
Ring said he agreed to shift seats when requested but was shocked to remain next to the corpse for about four hours. “They looked frustrated and then saw seats available beside me,” he said. Despite visible empty seats, the couple was not relocated, Ring said.
Even after landing, Ring said he had to sit next to the body until ambulance and police officers arrived. “The officers removed the blankets, and it wasn’t a pleasant sight,” he said.
His wife added, “I’m not a great flyer at the best of times. There should be a protocol to handle such situations better.”
Qatar Airways had later issued a statement apologising “for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused.”
