A man has choked to death on an airline meal on board a Jetstar flight from Singapore to Auckland.

Robert Rippingale died while on route to his native New Zealand for a family reunion leaving his distraught girlfriend sitting at his side for the remained of the flight.

Rippingale is believed to have choked on the meal approximately 90 minutes into the flight – with two doctors and a nurse, who were traveling on the same flight, unable to save him.

Stewardesses moved the body to the crew rest area, where Vanessa Preechakul, a 27-year-old architect, asked to next to her deceased boyfriend.

Crew members covered his body with a blanket.

Following the incident Jetstar contacted passengers to thank them for their patience during an “upsetting situation for them”.

“They were offered a discount on future travel as a small acknowledgement of this,” a Jetstar spokesman said.

Jetstar is a budget offshoot of Australian carrier Qantas.