Qatar Airways Sued Over Death of Passenger Who Choked on Board

Qatar Airways is being sued over the death of a passenger said to have started choking on board a flight some eight hours before it made an emergency landing.

Asoka Jayaweera was flying from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka, via Doha, in August 2023, according to the lawsuit filed by his son in a California court last Friday.

About two and a half hours into the 15-hour flight, the meal service began.

Jayaweera, a “strict vegetarian,” was told that the airline didn’t have any vegetarian meals left, the complaint says.

It alleges that he was instead given a regular meal and told to “eat around” the meat.

Shortly after, Jayaweera is said to have started choking.

The suit says that he was given medical assistance by the crew.

But it alleges that Jayaweera and his unnamed companion were told the plane couldn’t divert as it was flying over the Arctic Circle and the Atlantic Ocean.

Jayaweera was administered oxygen, but lost consciousness around five hours after he started choking, per the complaint.

It adds that the flight diverted to Edinburgh two and a half hours later, where Jayaweera was taken to the hospital.

He died the next day due to aspiration pneumonia, a type of lung infection that can be caused by inhaling food, the suit says.

The plaintiff, Surya Jayaweera, is suing Qatar Airways under the Montreal Convention, which stipulates that airlines are liable for a passenger’s death on an international flight.

Under the treaty, airlines are liable for proven damages up to 128,821 special drawing rights — around $175,000 — but they can avoid paying more if they prove it wasn’t caused by their negligence.

Jayaweera’s suit seeks damages in excess of this, questioning why the plane didn’t land until eight hours after his father started choking.

Qatar Airways did not respond to a request for comment.