Qatar Airways is speaking out.

After Australian couple Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin came forward saying that they were forced to sit next to a dead body for four hours of a recent flight from Melbourne to Doha, the airline defended the actions of its crew members who were simply following protocol based on the “unfortunate reality” of the situation after a passenger suddenly collapsed and died.

“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,” Qatar Airways said in a statement to People Feb. 28, noting that its crew acted “in line with training and industry standard practice.”

The airline added that its flight attendants treated the difficult matter “with as much respect and dignity as possible” and said that it had offered compensation and support to the family of the woman who died on the flight, as well as to those passengers who were “directly affected” by the situation on the plane.

E! News has reached out to Qatar Airways for comment and has not yet heard back.