SINGAPORE -- U.S. film star John Travolta flew his own jet into singapore over the weekend as part of a special friendship mission that will take him to 13 cities in 10 countries.

A qualified jet pilot, the 48-year-old star of 1970s megahits "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease" and the 1990s film "Pulp Fiction" told a packed media conference Saturday how his love for flying started more than 40 years ago, AFP said.

"When I was a kid, I fantasized about the airlines that did long over distance water flights ... getting people in luxurious ways over in long distances, the seven seas and intercontinental travel," said Travolta.

"I always thought that was very exciting and romantic," he said.

Appointed "Ambassador-at-Large" last month by Australian carrier Qantas, Travolta piloted his own Boeing 707 airliner -- which once belonged to the airline -- into Changi Airport from the Australian city of Perth late Friday night.

Travolta's trip will cover 64,700 kilometers (35,000 miles) and take him around the world from Los Angeles with stops in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Britain, Italy, France and Germany.

He successfully completed a flight simulator training in Sydney and in the U.S. city of Seattle to become a first officer on the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet aircraft.

To mark the trip, Travolta had his Boeing 707, named "Jett Clipper Ella" after his two kids, repainted in its original Qantas 1960s branding and livery.

Qantas, established in the Australian outback in 1920, is the world's second oldest airline.