Qatar Airways has defended its cabin crew after an Australian couple claimed they were traumatised when the body of a deceased passenger was placed next to them during a flight.
The airline said an internal review found that staff "acted quickly, appropriately and professionally" during the incident on the Melbourne to Doha service.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin told Australia's Channel Nine they were distressed when crew placed the body of a woman who had died mid-flight next to Mr Ring for the final four hours of their 14-hour journey.
"I can't believe they told us to stay," Mr Ring said, describing how passengers were asked to remain seated after landing while medical staff and police boarded the aircraft.
Qatar Airways said in a statement to the BBC: "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."
The airline added: "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."
According to Mr Ring, cabin crew had difficulty moving the woman's body through the aisle because "she was quite a large lady" and then asked him to move before placing her in his seat.
While Ms Colin was offered a seat elsewhere by another passenger, Mr Ring claimed staff did not offer to relocate him despite vacant seats being available.
"We totally understand that we can't hold the airline responsible for the poor lady's death, but surely after that there has to be a protocol to look after the customers on board," Ms Colin said.
The International Air Transport Association guidelines recommend moving a deceased person to a seat with few passengers nearby and allowing other travellers to disembark before local authorities attend to the body.
Qatar Airways said they have offered support and compensation to the deceased's family and passengers "directly affected" by the incident.
