By: Trends DeskNew Delhi | October 9, 2025 12:49 PM IST 3 min readCrew members immediately tried to assist him and contacted MedAire, but despite their efforts, his condition deterioratedThe family of Dr Asoka Jayaweera, 85, a California-based cardiologist, has accused Qatar Airways of negligence after he allegedly choked to death mid-flight while trying to avoid eating meat. Dr Ashoka, a vegetarian, had specifically requested a meat-free meal for his 15-and-a-half-hour journey from Los Angeles to Colombo on June 23, 2023.However, according to a lawsuit filed by his son Surya Jayaweera, the airline failed to provide the pre-ordered vegetarian meal. Instead, cabin crew reportedly told the elderly doctor there were no vegetarian options left, and handed him a standard meal that contained meat.The Independent reported that the flight attendant advised Dr Asoka to “eat around” the meat – a suggestion that proved tragic. “While attempting to ‘eat around’ the meat in the meal that he was provided, Asoka Jayaweera began choking shortly thereafter,” states the complaint, filed on July 31 in a California state court. The filing does not specify which food item caused him to choke.Crew members immediately tried to assist him and contacted MedAire, a medical service that connects airlines with emergency doctors for in-flight crises. But despite their efforts, his condition deteriorated. The pilot was unable to make an emergency landing, and when the plane finally touched down in Edinburgh, Scotland, the doctor was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on August 3, 2023. Medical reports cite aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection caused by inhaling food or liquid, as the cause of death.Surya Jayaweera is now suing Qatar Airways for wrongful death and negligence, alleging that the airline not only failed to serve the vegetarian meal his father had ordered but also mishandled the medical emergency that followed. The lawsuit seeks $128,821 in damages – the minimum statutory amount – under the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that holds airlines strictly liable for deaths or injuries that occur 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,” the complaint states.The case has reignited debate about how airlines handle dietary restrictions and medical emergencies, particularly for elderly passengers. It’s not an isolated incident, last year, British reality TV star Jack Fowler, who suffers from a severe nut allergy, nearly died on a Qatar Airways flight to Dubai after being served a chicken curry containing nuts. He had faced a similar scare the year before, also with the same airline.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd