New Delhi, March 1 -- Qatar Airways has issued a statement defending its crew's decision to keep a dead body of a woman sitting beside a couple on a 14-hour-long flight. The airline company said that its staff "acted quickly, appropriately and professionally" in placing the body of the dead woman who died mid-flight next to an Australian couple.

In a statement to news outlet BBC, Qatar Airways said that the way its crew handled the woman's death was "in line with the training and industry standard practice".

"Passengers were accommodated to other seats, and a crew member was sitting at all times with the deceased passenger for the duration of the flight until landing in Doha," it said in the statement.

The company further stated that "...