Qatar Airways says an internal review has found that its crew “acted quickly, appropriately and professionally” when they placed the body of a woman who died mid-flight next to an Australian couple.
After the pair told ABC’s of Australia that they were traumatized by the incident on the journey from Melbourne to Doha, the flight issued the declaration to the BBC on Friday.
In a earlier speech, Qatar Airways expressed regret for “any pain or stress this incident may have caused.”
The event sparked discussion about how to handle incidents aboard airplanes.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who were travelling to Venice for a holiday, said the house staff had placed the dying woman, covered in blankets, next to Mr Ring for the last four days of a 14-hour trip.
The girl passed away along the hall next to them after collapsing. The crew attempted to move her figure to the business class section after that because” she was very large girl and they don’t get her through the aisle,” according to Mr. Ring.
The woman was therefore moved into the chair that Mr. Ring was sitting in before moving her.
Mr. Ring claimed that despite having empty seats nearby, the aircraft’s employees did not offer to move him abroad even though another passenger had invited him to sit next to her across the aisle.
Qatar Airways stated on Friday that the captain’s management of the person’s dying was “in line with industry standard practice and training.”
A staff member was seated with the dying customer for the duration of the trip until Doha, according to its statement.
Sudden deaths do occasionally result on board aircraft in the aerospace industry, and our staff are extremely trained to deal with these conditions with as much respect and dignity as possible.
The airport added that they have also offered financial support and payment to the deceased’s family and other travellers who were directly affected by the event.
In the televised meeting with Channel 9, Ms. Colin stated,” We fully understand that we didn’t hold the airline accountable for the poor girl’s death. But certainly there has to be a method to look after the passengers on board.”
Mr. Ring said that as the plane landed, passengers were instructed to remain placed while officers and medical personnel arrived. The woman’s emergency officials then began pulling mats off her, and he said he saw her face.
He continued,” I can’t believe they told us to stay,” adding that he believed they should have let the passengers leave the plane first before allowing medical staff to handle the body.
Previous Virgin Atlantic captain Barry Eustance previously told the BBC that in his opinion,” the staff would usually try to remove the body, so there is no passenger exposure to the body, and vice versa, for respect and privacy but also for health reasons.”
The deceased person should be moved to a seat, preferably one with few other passengers nearby, and covered with a blanket or body bag up to the neck, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Air Transport Association. Additionally, the body could be moved to a location that doesn’t block an aisle or exit.
The association advises that other passengers board the plane before the body is taken care of by the local authorities upon landing.