An Australian couple were horrified when a woman died next to them on a Qatar Airways flight with staff taking almost half an hour to try and revive her, they claimed.
Francesca and Enrico were halfway through their 14-hour flight from Doha to Sydney on Friday when a woman sitting behind them started making a “weird noise.”
They alerted the crew who came to check on the woman.
It was dark in the cabin at the time and many of the other passengers were asleep, 7News reported.
“She looked like she was sleeping, but she was making this really loud noise,” Francesca said.
“They called more staff who came with an oxygen mask.
“But then they just left.
“You could see she wasn’t breathing.”
Qatar Airways said in a statement that the 60-year-old woman, from Campbelltown south of Sydney, could not be revived.
But Francesca believes more could have been done to save her.
“It didn’t feel like they did enough,” she said.
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According to the couple, 20 minutes after the first member of staff came to check on the woman, she was moved from her seat with the help of another passenger.
Staff then moved her to another section of the plane, performed CPR and used a defibrillator.
“I think at that point she was gone,” Francesca said.
“Why didn’t they do that a half-hour earlier?
“They just left her there.”
An announcement was made asking if there was a doctor or nurse on board.
Francesca and Enrico were moved seats and staff moved the woman back to her original row, covering her with a blanket.
“When we landed, they announced there had been a medical emergency and everyone needed to remain seated,” Francesca said.
The plane was then stormed by a paramedic, police officers, and biosecurity officers.
“Nobody asked us anything,” Francesca said.
Francesca said she was speaking out because she believes the woman’s family should know what happened.
Qatar Airways has been contacted for comment.
In a statement to 7News the airline said: “Regrettably, the lady could not be revived.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.”