Qatar Airways says crew handled passenger’s midflight death ‘appropriately’

Qatar Airways said Friday that an internal review found its cabin crew had “acted quickly, appropriately and professionally” in their handling of a deceased passenger whose body was placed next to an Australian couple for the remainder of the flight.

The couple told Australian media that they were forced to sit next to the woman’s body after she collapsed and died last week about 10 hours into their 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Doha.

“It is an unfortunate reality that unexpected deaths do sometimes occur on board aircraft across the aviation industry, and our crew are highly trained to deal with these situations with as much respect and dignity as possible,” the airline said in a statement.

“After an internal review, it is clear that Qatar Airways cabin crew acted quickly, appropriately and professionally at all times in line with training and industry standard practice.”

The airline added that passengers were accommodated to other seats and that a crew member was sitting with the deceased passenger for the rest of the flight until it landed in Doha.

“We have been in direct contact with the family of the deceased as well as other passengers who were directly affected by this difficult situation and have offered emotional support and compensation,” it said.

The Australian couple, Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who were heading to Venice on holiday, said that after placing the body next to them, the flight crew would not let them change seats for the rest of the flight and asked them to remain seated as medical staffers addressed the body upon landing.

The couple said they felt they had not received enough support from the airline.

“They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff. We should be contacted to make sure, do you need some support, do you need some counseling,” Ring told the Australian news program “A Current Affair” on Sunday.

Qatar Airways said Wednesday that it had spoken “with the affected passengers to address their concerns.”

The airline said Friday that it deeply sympathized “with all those involved in this sad situation, and our thoughts remain with the family members of the passenger who passed away on board our flight.”