Australian passengers criticize Qatar Airways for sitting with corpse on long-haul flight

An Australian couple has expressed their shock and frustration after Qatar Airways placed a blanket-covered corpse next to them during a 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Doha last week.

Mitchell Ring, one of the passengers, recounted that the passenger passed away mid-flight, and the crew initially attempted to move the body to business class. However, due to the size of the deceased, they struggled to fit her through the aisle.

"They looked a bit frustrated, then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me," Ring told Nine News Australia.

Uncomfortable and Distressing Experience
Despite other empty seats being available, Ring and his wife, Jennifer Colin, were required to remain next to the body for approximately four hours, even after landing.

"The ambulance officers and the police came in, and the ambulance officers started pulling the blankets off the lady," Ring said. "It wasn’t nice."

Colin, who already finds flying difficult, described the situation as disturbing and stressful.

"I’m not a great flier at the best of times," she said. "There has to be a protocol that looks after the customers on board."

Ring further added that when the flight crew asked him to move over to make space for the deceased, he complied without hesitation, but questioned why other empty seats were not used instead.

Qatar Airways Responds
In response to the incident, Qatar Airways issued a statement apologizing for any inconvenience or distress caused.

"First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight," the airline stated.

While airlines generally follow strict procedures when handling in-flight medical emergencies and deaths, this particular situation has sparked debate over passenger welfare and protocols in such cases.