Qatar Airways Vegetarian Passenger Dies After Being Served Non-Vegetarian Meal
An 85-year-old retired cardiologist from Southern California, Dr. Asoka Jayaweera, tragically died aboard a Qatar Airways flight after reportedly being told to “eat around” a non-vegetarian meal, despite pre-ordering a vegetarian option.
The incident occurred on June 30, 2023, during a 15.5-hour flight from Los Angeles to Colombo. According to reports, Dr. Jayaweera had specifically requested a vegetarian meal for the journey, but flight attendants informed him that none were available. Instead, he was handed a standard meat-based meal and advised to “eat around” the meat.
While attempting to do so, Dr. Jayaweera choked and lost consciousness mid-flight. Crew members tried to assist him and sought help from MedAire’s remote medical advisors, but his condition deteriorated rapidly. The plane was diverted to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was rushed to a hospital. He died a few days later, on August 3, 2023, due to aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection caused by inhaling food or liquid.
Following his death, his son, Surya Jayaweera, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Qatar Airways in a U.S. court, alleging negligence in both the meal service and medical response. The lawsuit claims the airline failed to provide the pre-ordered vegetarian meal and mishandled the emergency.
Surya Jayaweera is seeking $128,821 in damages, the statutory minimum under the Montreal Convention, an international treaty governing airline liability for onboard accidents. The treaty sets a payout limit of approximately $175,000 for injury or death during international flights.
The lawsuit states:
“Qatar and the United States are members of the Montreal Convention. As such, Qatar Airways is subject to its rules and has acquiesced to strict liability for personal injury or wrongful deaths occurring as a result of an accident on an international flight.”
The incident has reignited debate about airline responsibility toward passengers with dietary restrictions and health vulnerabilities, particularly elderly travelers.
This isn’t the first such case involving Qatar Airways. In 2023, British reality TV star Jack Fowler, who has a severe nut allergy, nearly died on a Qatar Airways flight after being served chicken curry containing nuts, despite warning the crew. He had faced a similar incident with the same airline a year earlier.
Other airlines have also come under scrutiny. Earlier this year, a Singapore Airlines flight from Frankfurt to New York had to divert to Paris when a 41-year-old woman suffered a severe allergic reaction after being served shrimp, despite her declared shellfish allergy.
The tragic death of Dr. Jayaweera has sparked calls for stricter enforcement of airline dietary compliance and in-flight medical response protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
