Qatar Airways is defending its crew after they deposited a deceased passenger next to a couple for the final four hours of a flight from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar earlier this week.

As you know, the couple — Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin — claimed they were not offered new seats after a woman’s corpse was covered with a blanket and was placed in their row. Ring said he was simply asked to move over so the woman — who dropped dead near them — could occupy his seat.

In a statement obtained by TMZ, Qatar Airways says cabin crew “acted quickly, appropriately and professionally at all times in line with training and industry standard practice.”

Qatar says they have been “in direct contact with the family of the deceased” and offered passengers “directly affected” by the uncomfortable situation “emotional support and compensation.”

The airline did not respond to TMZ when asked how much guests would be compensated.

Gene Hackman’s New Mexico home is so huge, it took a while to find his body after his wife Betsy’s was found, a local fire official tells TMZ … giving us a detailed rundown of what went down when they arrived on the scene.

Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya tells TMZ paramedics responded to a “man down” call from Gene’s address Wednesday with a fire engine and an ambulance, and rushed in through the unlocked front door — with sheriff’s deputies arriving later.

Moya tells us they found Betsy right away, on the floor of a bathroom near the front door. Their team is trained to spot obvious signs of death, and it was clear Betsy had passed — so no resuscitation efforts were made.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told “TODAY” this morning the couple may have been dead for days, possibly even weeks.

An impromptu pre-Oscars party went down at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday … with big actors like Timothée Chalamet and Ben Affleck snagging courtside seats for the Lakers’ win over the Timberwolves.

LeBron James and Co. handled business for the Purple and Gold … coming away with the 111-102 victory thanks to the King’s stat sheet-stuffing night with 33 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.

Ball knower and “A Complete Unknown” star Timmy C was clearly loving the action … giving a big smile as he took it all in. He seemingly had a bit of a costume change during his night out … as he was spotted wearing two different shirts.

Affleck, Joey King and Netflix honcho Ted Sarandos also had great views of the matchup … and singer Benson Boone also showed face — looking like he was ready to suit up for the Lake Show in a LeBron jersey and shorts.

It wasn’t all fun for everyone on Thursday — Wolves star Anthony Edwards was ejected from the game after picking up two technical fouls … and proceeded to toss the ball into the crowd on his way out.

He had 18 points in 26 minutes prior to getting the boot.

After the game, James was asked about Ant previously revealing he did not want to be the face of the NBA … and opened up on how the title comes with a ton of criticism.

“Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s*** on everybody?” James asked.

“It’s just weird energy from the people that … I don’t know.”

James added he feels for Ant … considering he didn’t ask for the title either, but knew it was his responsibility to the people he loves and to the fans to be a professional.

The Lakers have now won four straight … and new addition Luka Doncic contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds on the night.