Qatar Airways apologises ‘for any inconvenience’ after placing dead body next to couple

Qata Airway has been forced to apologise after couple’s flight from Melbourne to Doha took a tragic turn when a fellow passenger died mid-flight, and they were left to endure the aftermath.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were initially pleased to find empty seats on their Qatar Airways flight. However, their relief quickly turned to horror when a woman collapsed shortly after leaving the bathroom.

Mitchell Ring told A Current Affair on Channel 9: "Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch. They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn't get her through the aisle."

After struggling to move the deceased passenger, the crew decided to place the body in the empty seats next to Mr Ring.

After Mr Ring spoke out about the traumatic experience , an airline spokesman has now responded apologising for "any inconvenience or distress" caused to the couple.

Speaking of the incident, Mr Ring said: "They looked a bit frustrated, then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me. My wife was on the other side, we were in a row of four. They said, 'Can you move over please?' and I just said, 'Yes, no problem.' Then they placed the lady in the chair I was in."

Despite the traumatic situation, the couple claims that the crew made no attempt to relocate them. Instead, another passenger offered Ms Colin a seat further away after noticing her distress.

Mr Ring said: "There were a few spare seats I could see around us."

The couple was left to sit just inches from the body for the remaining four hours of the flight. After landing, they were instructed to remain in their seats as medical crews removed the blankets covering the deceased.

Mr Ring said: "I can't believe they told us to stay...it wasn't nice."

Neither Qatar Airways nor Qantas, through which the tickets were booked, had contacted the couple for support following the traumatic ordeal.

Mr Ring added: "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 counselling?"

He admitted he was struggling to process the experience, adding: "I don't really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I'm alright."

Despite the distressing experience, Ms Colin remained determined to salvage their dream holiday to Italy.

She said: "I'm trying to make the best of a pretty hard situation, but, you know, we're on holidays, so we're really trying to have a good time."

A Qantas spokesperson said: “The process for handling incidents onboard an aircraft like this is managed by the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways.”

Following the interview, Qatar Airways confirmed it was investigating the incident. A spokesperson for Qantas also said they would be reaching out to the couple.

A spokesperson said: "Ms Colin booked tickets through Qantas and travelled with Qatar Airways, a fellow Oneworld Alliance carrier.

"The process for handling incidents onboard an aircraft like this is managed by the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways."

The spokesperson for Qatar Airways said: "We apologise for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused, and are in the process of contacting passengers in line with our policies and procedures."