Qatar Airways says that an internal examination revealed that his crew “acted quickly, appropriately and professional” when they placed the body of a woman who died half-Volite next to an Australian couple.
On Friday, the airline published the Declaration to the BBC after the couple told Australia Channel Nine that they had been traumatized by the experience on the flight of Melbourne in Doha.
Qatar Airways had apologized in a previous statement for “any disadvantage or distress that this incident may have caused”.
The incident sparked a debate on procedures on the treatment of deaths on board aircraft.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who went to Venice for a vacation, said that the cabin crew had placed the dead woman, covered with covers, next to Mr. Ring during the last four hours of a 14 -hour flight.
The woman collapsed and then died along the aisle next to them. Subsequently, the crew tried but failed to move his body to the business classes section because “she was quite large and they could not get her through the aisle,” said Ring.
They then asked Mr. Ring to move and placed the lady in the seat in which he was.
While Ms. Colin was invited by another passenger to sit next to her through the aisle, Mr. Ring said that the plane staff had not offered to move him elsewhere even if there were vacant seats.
Qatar Airways said Friday that the crew treatment of women’s death was “in accordance with the standard training and practice of industry”.
“The passengers were welcomed on other seats, and a crew member was seated at any time with the deceased passenger during the flight to Doha landing,” said his press release.
“It is an unfortunate reality that unexpected deaths sometimes occur on aircraft through the aviation industry and our team is very formed to deal with these situations with as much respect and dignity as possible.”
The airline also said that it had supported and compensation to the deceased family and other passengers directly affected by the incident.
“We fully understand that we cannot hold the airline responsible for the death of the poor lady, but after that, there must be a protocol to take care of customers on board,” said Colin in the television interview with Channel 9.
When the plane landed, Mr. Ring said the passengers were invited to stay on the spot while the medical staff and the police expressed on board. The ambulance agents then began to remove the blankets from the woman and he saw his face, he said.
“I cannot believe that they told us to stay,” he said, adding that he thought they would have let the passengers leave the plane before letting the medical staff manage the body.
Barry Eustance, a former Atlantic captain Virgin, told BBC earlier than, according to his experience, “the crew would normally try to isolate the body, there is therefore no exposure to passengers to the body and vice versa, for respect and intimacy but also for medical reasons”.
According to the guidelines of the International Air Transport Association on the management of deaths aboard a flight, the deceased must be moved to a seat, preferably with a few other passengers nearby and covered with a coverage or a body bag to the neck. The body could also move to another area that do not follow an aisle or an exit.
At landing, the association recommends that other passengers will land before the organization is followed by the local authorities.
