An Australian couple's story went viral this week after they said crew members placed a dead body in the seats next to them.

An airline traveler has spoken of his shock after cabin staff sat him next to the body of a fellow passenger who had died during the flight.

Qatar Airways is now responding after passengers claim they were forced to sit next to a dead body for four hours on flight from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar.

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. The airline issued the statement to the BBC on Friday,

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.

It is clear that Qatar Airways cabin crew acted quickly, appropriately and professionally at all times in line with training and industry standard practice,” the airline maintained.

Qatar Airways said its crew handled the body of a woman who died during a flight from Melbourne to Doha in a professional manner, after a couple said they were forced to sit next to the body. The passenger collapsed in the aisle next to Australian passengers Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin's row after going to the toilet,

The passengers previously spoke out after being told they couldn't move seats and instead had to sit next to a deceased fellow passenger on their flight