Hollywood star and experienced pilot John Travolta will arrive in Shannon Airport later tonight for the second time in three days.
The actor, best known for his roles in films like Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction stayed at Dromoland Castle overnight on Tuesday after piloting his private jet from Ocola, Florida. Travolta’s home and aircraft are based at the Jumbolair Aviation Estate near Florida, a gated community with a private runway.
On Wednesday, he flew his Falcon 900 jet from Shannon to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from where he departed again this evening en route back to Shannon.
In a short video which Travolta posted on Instagram, he explained that was coming here for ‘business’ but didn’t give any further details. The video, viewed almost 500,000 times already, shows clips of his 7-hour transatlantic journey and arriving at Dromoland Castle.
The star’s private jet is due in Shannon in the early hours of Saturday morning and he is expected to continue his journey home to the US tomorrow.
Travolta is no stranger to Ireland or Shannon is understood to have last visited here in 2019. While he is flying a small Falcon 900 jet on his current trip, he has also flown larger commercial aircraft in the past.
His most famous plane is a former Qantas Boeing 707 which he purchased in 1998 and reregistered with the designation N707JT. He also acted as an ambassador for Qantas for several years.
In April 2007, Travolta’s Boeing 707 jet was grounded at Shannon Airport after suffering a technical problem just before he was due to return to the U.S.
The aircraft had made a refuelling stop at Shannon while returning to the US from Europe where Travolta had been promoting his new movie ‘Wild hogs’. He was forced to make alternative arrangements to get back to the US leaving his jet behind in Shannon for maintenance.