Coldplay frontman’s bizarre airport ritual before flight to NZ

Chris Martin was pictured kissing the tarmac before boarding a flight to Auckland yesterday. Photo / Getty Images
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin left fans confused by his peculiar act at Sydney Airport yesterday before leaving for Auckland.
Coldplay is heading to New Zealand this week to perform at Eden Park after a string of shows in Sydney – but before he boarded a private jet, the singer knelt on the tarmac and kissed it, reports the Daily Mail Australia.
Airport workers and fans looking on might not have known that Martin’s pre-flight ritual usually includes dropping a kiss on the ground.
He kissed the ground upon landing in Malaysia last year before performing there, and has been spotted undertaking the same ritual when arriving in Indonesia.
The Daily Mail Australia has approached Martin’s representatives for comment.
The singer himself has never confirmed the reason for his pre- or post-flight ritual, but it may have something to do with a near-death experience several years ago.
Martin, who formed Coldplay in 1997 in London, said in 2005 that his plane was hit by a dust storm during a flight over West Africa.
He recalled that he was travelling to Ghana with the charity Oxfam when the storm hit as his flight was nearing Tamale Airport, telling the Sun at the time, “It was so terrifying, the plane was all over the place.
“Once a year, for a week, all this dust blows over from the Sahara Desert. You could not see a thing. I couldn’t see the ground and as it turns out, nor could the pilot.”
Martin said the plane “dropped off violently” and was “lurching all over” but the pilot managed to land safely.
Earlier this month, he had fans gasping in horror after taking a dramatic tumble on stage during Coldplay’s final show at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.
The musician had been walking backwards when he stepped through a trapdoor and fell, prompting an audible response from shocked concertgoers.
“That’s not planned!” Martin called out in footage of the incident, which showed him catching himself on the sides of the door before hauling himself to the steps.
“Thank you for catching me,” he added to a production hand, who seemingly gave the star a boost from beneath the stage.
Coldplay is set to play three shows at Auckland’s Eden Park this week, on Wednesday, November 13, Friday, November 15, and Saturday, November 16.