A couple has spoken out after a passenger sitting next to them on a long-haul flight tragically passed away.
The revelations have emerged surrounding the tragic incident that unfolded on a Qatar Airways flight QR908 last week, as cabin crew allegedly waited for 20 minutes before attempting to perform CPR on a woman who later tragically passed away onboard.
The 60-year-old passenger, believed to be from Campbelltown in Sydney's south-west, was on a lengthy 14-hour journey from Doha to Sydney when the harrowing incident took place. The passenger was found in an unresponsive state during the flight, and her subsequent treatment has caused alarm, per the Daily Mail.
Francesca and her husband Enrico, who chose to only provide their first names to protect their privacy, were onboard and shared their troubling account of the incident.
After the woman's passing, they claim that the flight crew "just left her there" with only a blanket covering her lifeless body.
The airline had previously stated that the passenger "could not be revived." However, Francesca and Enrico, who were seated in front of the unfortunate woman, expressed their concerns, asserting that it "didn't feel like they (cabin crew) did enough."
The couple's ordeal began when they first alerted airline attendants after hearing the woman emit a "weird noise." Francesca recalled the distressing moment, telling the Daily Mail: "She looked like she was sleeping, but she was making this really loud noise."
Cabin staff attempted to rouse the passenger and summoned other crew members who provided her with an oxygen mask. However, according to Francesca, they then inexplicably "just left."
The couple maintains that they were reassured by staff that "everything was alright," despite signs to the contrary. "You could see she wasn't breathing," Francesca said.
Another 20 minutes transpired before a member of the cabin crew, accompanied by another passenger, returned to address the situation. They relocated the "limp" woman to another section of the plane, where they finally attempted CPR and used a defibrillator.
"I think at that point she was gone," Francesca recounted. She couldn't help but question: "Why didn't they do that a half hour earlier?"
Desperation reached a climax when an announcement over the public address system solicited assistance from any doctors on board.
An additional half-hour elapsed before the passengers seated behind Francesca and her husband were repositioned, and the woman's lifeless body was moved back to her original row of seats and discreetly covered with a blanket.
Upon landing, all passengers were instructed to remain seated while emergency crews attended to the unfortunate situation.
Francesca expressed her deep disappointment, stating that the airline should have handled the situation far more effectively. "They just left her there," she stated, reflecting the profound concern surrounding this incident.
VT has reached out to Qatar Airways for comment but did not immediately receive a response.