Elderly Vegetarian Passenger Dies After Choking on Non-Vegetarian Meal on Qatar Airways Flight

Despite immediate medical intervention from crew members and fellow passengers, an elderly vegetarian traveler could not be saved after a tragic in-flight incident.

An 85-year-old retired cardiologist from Southern California choked and died aboard a Qatar Airways flight after being served a non-vegetarian meal despite his dietary requirements. Dr. Asoka Jayaweera had specifically pre-ordered vegetarian food, but when none was available, flight attendants instructed him to simply "eat around" the meat portions of a standard meal, according to a report by Independent.

The fatal incident occurred on June 30, 2023, during a Qatar Airways flight from Los Angeles to Colombo spanning 15.5 hours. When informed that his pre-ordered vegetarian meal wasn't available, Dr. Jayaweera attempted to follow the crew's suggestion to avoid the meat in his served dish.

While trying to navigate around the non-vegetarian components, the elderly passenger began choking and subsequently lost consciousness. Flight crew members attempted emergency assistance and consulted remote medical advisors from MedAire, but his condition deteriorated rapidly. The aircraft ultimately diverted to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Dr. Jayaweera was transported to hospital. He was pronounced dead on August 3, 2023, with aspiration pneumonia—a lung infection resulting from accidentally inhaled food or liquid—cited as the cause of death.

Recently, the deceased passenger's son, Surya Jayaweera, initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against Qatar Airways, claiming negligence in both meal service and medical response protocols. The legal filing alleges that the airline failed to honor the pre-ordered vegetarian meal and did not adequately respond to the medical emergency that followed. The lawsuit seeks $128,821 in damages, representing the statutory minimum amount for negligence and wrongful death claims.

The legal complaint references the Montreal Convention, an international treaty governing airline liability to which both Qatar and the United States are signatories. This agreement establishes liability limits of approximately $175,000 for deaths and injuries occurring during international flights.

"Qatar and the United States are members of the Montreal Convention and as such QATAR is subject to the Convention's rules and has acquiesced to strict liability for personal injury or wrongful deaths occurring as a result of an accident on an international flight," states the official complaint.

This tragedy has prompted increased scrutiny regarding airline policies on dietary accommodations and passenger care standards, particularly for elderly travelers with specific requirements.

The incident follows similar concerning episodes involving dietary restrictions on flights. British reality television personality Jack Fowler, who suffers from severe nut allergies, nearly died on a Qatar Airways flight to Dubai last year after being served chicken curry containing nuts. Fowler had previously experienced a similar allergic reaction on another Qatar Airways flight when served ice cream containing nuts.

In another related incident, a Singapore Airlines flight traveling from Frankfurt to New York City was forced to divert to Paris when a 41-year-old passenger with shellfish allergies became critically ill after being served shrimp.