Passenger, 31, chokes to death on in-flight meal... and his girlfriend sits next to his body for NINE hours

Mr Rippingale, 31, was taking Miss Preechakul, a 27-year-old architect, to meet his parents and explore his native New Zealand.

An hour and a half into the flight with Jetstar, a low budget subsidiary of Qantas, the crew began serving dinner. Mr Rippingale chose a beef dish and was eating it while watching an in-flight movie.

Miss Preechakul said she noticed him shaking, but did not realise anything was wrong. ‘I thought he was laughing very hard,’ she said. ‘Then I looked at his face and his eyes were rolling and he couldn’t talk. His lips were turning purple.’

A doctor and two nurses among the passengers went to help after hearing Miss Preechakul’s screams. Mr Rippingale, who had been living and working in Singapore for three years, was carried to the galley where the medical team performed CPR, but were unable to save him.

His body was then moved to the crew rest area, where it was covered with a blanket. Miss Preechakul did not want to leave him and was given permission to sit with him for the remaining nine hours of the flight.

Last night she said: ‘One minute we were sitting next to each other kissing, holding hands and the next minute he was choking.

'I’m struggling to come to terms with his death. He was so outgoing and generous.’