Qatar Airways faces lawsuit after passenger denied vegetarian meal on flight, later chokes to death
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Mr Asoka Jayaweera, who allegedly choked to death when he was denied his requested vegetarian meal on board a flight, was flying from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka on Aug 1, 2023.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Qatar Airways after a California man allegedly choked to death when he was denied his requested vegetarian meal on board a flight, reported British newspaper The Independent.
Mr Asoka Jayaweera was flying from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka on Aug 1, 2023, when the incident occurred.
The “strict vegetarian” had requested a vegetarian meal, according to the lawsuit filed by Mr Jayaweera’s son, Mr Surya Jayaweera, and seen by The Independent, but was informed by a flight attendant that there were none left.
He was instead provided a regular meal and instructed “to ‘eat around’ the meat”, the complaint added. While attempting to do so, he began choking, the complaint states, without specifying exactly what he choked on.
Flight crew members called MedAire – a service based in Phoenix, Arizona, that provides aviation-trained emergency doctors who guide airline staff remotely during medical emergencies on flights – for assistance.
In its Oct 6 report, The Independent said the complaint alleged the pilot was unable to make an emergency landing as the plane was “travelling over the Arctic Circle/Ocean”.
But Mr Surya Jayaweera said in his complaint that the plane was over the state of Wisconsin in the US Midwest, not the Arctic Circle or Ocean, and could have been diverted.
The late Mr Jayaweera, who was 85, remained unconscious for more than 3½ hours until the plane touched down in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He was later taken to hospital and died on Aug 3, 2023, of aspiration pneumonia, the complaint said. This is an infection caused by inhaling food or liquid into the lungs, rather than swallowing it.
The Independent said neither Qatar Airways nor Mr Jayaweera responded to requests for comment.
In October 2024, a Singapore Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger suffered a severe allergic reaction to shellfish on board
Dr Doreen Benary, 41, a resident of Manhattan, was flying from Frankfurt to New York City when she “fell violently ill” after allegedly being served a meal containing shrimp.
The plane was diverted to Paris, France, where she underwent emergency medical treatment at two separate medical facilities. She later recovered.
