An 85-year-old vegetarian passenger, Dr Asoka Jayaweera, a retired cardiologist from Southern California, reportedly choked to death mid-flight after being served a non-vegetarian meal aboard a Qatar Airways flight. According to The Independent, Dr Jayaweera had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal for the 15.5-hour journey from Los Angeles to Colombo on June 30, 2023. However, the airline informed him that no vegetarian options were available and instead handed him a regular meal containing meat, advising him to “eat around” it.
While attempting to eat, Dr Jayaweera began choking and lost consciousness. The cabin crew provided first aid and sought guidance from MedAire’s remote medical team, but his condition deteriorated. The aircraft was diverted to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was taken to a hospital. He later died on August 3, 2023, from aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection caused by inhaling food or liquid into the lungs.
His son, Surya Jayaweera, has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Qatar Airways, accusing the airline of negligence in both meal service and emergency medical response. The suit seeks $128,821 in damages, the statutory minimum under the Montreal Convention, an international treaty governing airline liability, which caps compensation for in-flight deaths and injuries at around $175,000. The complaint argues that Qatar Airways, as a party to the Convention, bears strict liability for deaths or injuries resulting from accidents during international flights.
