Qatar Airways passenger requests for veg meal, chokes to death after being told to 'eat around the meat'

Qatar Airways has not issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit.

The family of an 85-year-old cardiologist from California has accused Qatar Airways of negligence after he allegedly choked to death on a flight meal that was not in accordance with his strict vegetarian dietary request.

The passenger, Dr Asoka Jayaweera, had been travelling from Los Angeles to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in June 2023, when the incident occurred. The wrongful death complaint, filed in a California court in July, claims that the airline’s failure to provide a vegetarian meal and its subsequent handling of the emergency led to his death.

According to court filings, Dr Jayaweera had requested a vegetarian meal for the 15-and-a-half-hour flight from Los Angeles International Airport. However, once on board, he was reportedly informed by a flight attendant that no vegetarian meals were available and was instead given a standard meal containing meat, The Independent reported.

The complaint alleges that he was told to “eat around” the meat. “While attempting to ‘eat around’ the meat in the meal that he was provided, Asoka Jayaweera began choking shortly thereafter,” the filing states. The document does not specify which food item caused the choking.

Cabin crew reportedly intervened when the passenger began choking. The pilot, according to the complaint, contacted MedAire, a medical assistance service that connects airline crews with emergency physicians who provide real-time guidance during in-flight health incidents.

“At approximately 02:46 UTC, Asoka Jayaweera was monitored with an oxygen saturation level of 69 percent,” the filing says. The crew administered oxygen and medication, but their attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

The lawsuit states that the pilot did not conduct an emergency landing, claiming that the aircraft was flying over the Arctic region at the time and could not divert safely, according to the report in The Independent. However, the family disputes this account. Dr Jayaweera’s son, Surya Jayaweera, alleges that the flight was actually flying over the Midwestern United States, making a diversion possible.

When the aircraft eventually landed in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dr Jayaweera had reportedly been unconscious for around three and a half hours. He was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead on August 3, 2023. A post-mortem examination determined that the cause of death was aspiration pneumonia, a condition that occurs when food or liquid enters the lungs.

His son has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Qatar Airways, claiming that both the improper meal service and the delayed medical response contributed to his father’s death. The legal claim seeks damages that may exceed the compensation limits outlined under the Montreal Convention, an international treaty governing airline liability in cases of injury or death.

The family’s filing also seeks additional compensation for legal costs, court fees, and accrued interest before judgment.

Qatar Airways has not issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit.