Qatar Airways Faces Strange Lawsuit Over Death of Sri Lankan-Born Doctor

A Sri Lankan-born heart specialist who lived in Southern California has died in a shocking mid-air incident, and his son has now filed a lawsuit against Qatar Airways.

s to Colombo on 23 June 2023 when tragedy struck. Reports say that a few hours after take-off, cabin crew began meal service. The doctor, a strict vegetarian, had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal—but was told that none were left.

A flight attendant then offered him a meat-based dish and suggested that he could “eat around the meat.” While trying to do so, he apparently choked on a piece of food and began struggling to breathe.

Drop in Oxygen 

Crew members intervened and called MedAire, the airline’s emergency medical service, for guidance. His oxygen level was measured at 69 percent, far below the safe range. Despite attempts to help him, it never rose above 85 percent.

At that point the plane was flying over the Midwest of the United States. The crew told his companion that the pilot could not divert because the aircraft was crossing the Arctic, but the family insists that a diversion would have been possible and could have saved his life.

Dr. Jayawira remained unconscious for about three and a half hours until the aircraft landed in Edinburgh, where he was rushed to hospital. He died there on 3 August 2023. The official cause of death was aspiration pneumonia, an infection caused when food or liquid enters the lungs.

His son, Surya Jayawira, has accused the airline of negligence and a preventable wrongful death. The lawsuit cites the Montreal Convention, which governs airline liability and sets a compensation limit of roughly US $175,000—but the claim seeks a higher amount, arguing that the airline’s conduct went beyond ordinary negligence.

Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of Qatar, offers nineteen types of special meals, including seven vegetarian options, but there have been previous complaints about in-flight food for passengers with special dietary needs. In an earlier case, a British reality-TV star with a severe cashew allergy nearly died after being served a meal containing nuts on the same airline.