A doctor who tried to save the life of a passenger on board a plane found an emergency medical kit "largely empty", an inquest was told on Wednesday.
Raffaele Falzon, 74, of Dulwich, south east London, was flying to Tunisia from Gatwick in 1998 when he became unwell.
Brighton doctor Tim Sales told Southwark Coroners Court the lack of supplies had prevented him from performing an emergency tracheotomy.
The inquest ruled that Mr Falzon had died as a result of choking.
Mr Sales first tried to revive Mr Falzon, who had become ill after eating a bread roll, using heart massage, back slaps and Heimlich manoeuvres, with the aid of Surrey firefighter Chris Tuthill.
However, when he asked the crew of the plane for a sharp knife and a pen in order to perform the tracheotomy, he was given a knife confiscated from a passenger which was too blunt to cut skin.
He also told the court he was "very surprised" at how little there was in the medical kit given to him and how two oxygen cylinders were unusable.
He said the first was empty or the gauge was faulty, while the second one was unfamiliar to the airline crew.
Mr Tuthill told the inquest: "Myself and the doctor tried to explain the first aid provision was not up to standard."

No pulse

The plane was diverted to Lyons in France, where Mr Falzon was treated and taken off the flight by a French team of paramedics.
However, Dr Sale said that by then the Libyan-born father of 11 had no pulse.
A post-mortem examination found he had died of asphyxia as a result of a mechanical event.
The inquest was told that the crew on board the flight were trained in the use of oxygen, and the medical kit had contained all that was required.
"The crew performed well and in accordance with their training," said Lofti Ayadi, who was the cabin crew chief on flight 987 on 14 August 1998.
Summing up, the deputy assistant coroner for Southwark, Dr Adele Williams, said a scalpel and syringe might have made a difference to Dr Sales’ efforts to save the life of Mr Falzon.
She also said it seemed clear to her that the oxygen was not functioning properly and there was limited equipment in the first aid kit.

BBC News
20 October 2004