Qatar Airways Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Vegetarian Passenger's Death Mid-Flight

Asoka Jayaweera, an 85-year-old strict vegetarian and Southern California cardiologist, died after choking on a meat-based meal mistakenly served by Qatar Airways during a flight from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka. Despite ordering a vegetarian meal, he was denied and instructed to "eat around" the meat in the available meal, leading to choking and loss of consciousness mid-flight. The flight crew delayed emergency landing, citing the aircraft was over the Arctic Ocean, but the family lawsuit contends the plane was actually over the U.S. Midwest, where diversion was feasible, and this delay contributed to his death. Medical assistance was provided onboard with remote guidance, but Jayaweera's oxygen saturation dropped to critical levels and he remained unconscious for over three hours until the flight landed in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he later died from aspiration pneumonia. Qatar Airways offers a variety of special meals, including seven meat-free options, but this incident highlights serious concerns about managing dietary restrictions on flights. The lawsuit alleges negligence and wrongful death, prompting scrutiny of Qatar Airways' in-flight meal policies and emergency response procedures.