Chris Martin shocked onlookers on Monday when he kissed the tarmac at Sydney Airport before boarding a private jet to Auckland, New Zealand.
Moments before he stepped onto the plane, the Coldplay frontman, 47, got down on his hands and knees and pressed his lips to the ground.
The unusual tradition, performed before and after his flights, has a very valid reason behind it.
While Chris hasn’t revealed why he performs the act, the ritual may stem from a brush with death he had early on in his music career.
The English star, who formed his band in London in 1997, claimed in 2005 he almost died when his plane hit a dust storm while flying over West Africa.
He was on his way to Ghana with Oxfam earlier that year when disaster struck just as the rocker’s flight was coming into Tamale Airport.
‘It was so terrifying, the plane was all over the place,’ Chris told Sun newspaper at the time.
‘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.
Chris Martin (pictured) shocked onlookers on Monday when he kissed the tarmac at Sydney Airport before boarding a private jet to Auckland, New Zealand
Moments before he stepped onto the plane, the Coldplay frontman, 47, got down on his hands and knees to kiss the ground
‘I found out we were about 200 metres up. The plane dropped off violently to the right then way over to the left it. It was lurching all over. But somehow the pilot pulled it off and landed.
‘I don’t know how he did it. I was convinced he wasn’t going to. Did the pilot know Chris Martin was on board? I don’t think he gave a flying f**k,’ Christ added.
At the time, Chris was still married to American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he shares daughter Apple, 20, and son Moses, 18.
During the horrific plane ordeal, Chris said his ‘mind was racing’ and thinking about his daughter, who was born one year prior.
‘I thought, “My daughter will have to get a stepdad”,’ he continued.
While Chris hasn’t revealed why he performs the act, the ritual may stem from a brush with death he had several years ago. The English star claimed in 2005 he almost died when his plane hit a dust storm while flying over West Africa
‘I also thought, “I’ve written a will. The band have finished the album but they know how I want to finish certain songs.”‘
Chris and Gwyneth famously announced their split in 2014 by stating they were ‘consciously uncoupling’.
On Monday, airport workers watched on as the award-winning artist pressed his lips to the ground near the plane stairs.
Wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and black cargo pants, the Fix You hitmaker didn’t seem to mind getting a bit dirty while performing his unusual pre-flight act.
It seems kissing the tarmac before he flies and when he lands has become a common ritual for the musician.
At the time, Chris was still married to American actress Gwyneth Paltrow (left), with whom he shares daughter Apple (right), 20, and son Moses, 18. During the horrific plane ordeal, Chris said his ‘mind was racing’ and thinking about his daughter, who was born one year prior
He was also spotted pecking the ground when he landed in Malaysia last November ahead of his concert in the Southeast Asian country.
Chris had the same entrance into Indonesia during his previous tour.
During his recent trip Down Under, Chris saved a young boy from being crushed at one of Coldplay’s Sydney concerts.
Chris noticed the young boy struggling in the standing section of the crowd on Thursday night.
The father-of-two pointed the boy out and offered the young fan a safer spot to watch the show.
‘You can sit right here, you don’t have to be squeezed,’ Chris said.
‘You don’t have to be squished by all these adults,’ he added, as the young fan was lifted over stage barriers to a spot next to the runway.
‘Sit right there my little brother… better? We’ll take care of you man,’ he added before continuing to perform.
Coldplay had a rocky start to their Australian stadium tour when their first show was derailed after one band member suffered a health emergency.
In a career first, lead singer Chris announced the band would play their first show in Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium without bassist Guy Berryman after he was struck down by an illness.
During the concert, Chris said: ‘We will have a slightly different show and we’ll do our best to make it amazing because we are in Melbourne with all you beautiful people.
‘If you see some mistakes and problems, it’s because we don’t have our bass player. You won’t see Guy tonight because he is vomiting.’
Taking to Instagram after the show, the band thanked their fans for understanding.
‘Tonight was the first time in our band’s history that we’ve played a show without all four members onstage. Guy was taken ill unexpectedly just before the show. Thank you for carrying us through it,’ they said.
Coldplay performed their final Australian concert on Sunday night and have now taken their Music of the Spheres tour to Auckland for three sold-out shows.
