Travolta files lawsuit with Florida Airport

By Stone Martindale Jul 21, 2007, 17:06 GMT

07/10/2007 - John Travolta - Los Angeles Premiere of HAIRSPRAY - Mann Village Theater - Westwood, CA © Glenn Harris / PR Photos

John Travolta has sued the owners of the Florida Greystone Airport where he's looking to land his jumbo 707 jet, claiming that they falsified their 2006 records to show that the landing field could not accommodate large planes.

The "Hairspray" star owns several aircraft, including a Boeing 707, a four-engine Qantas commercial passenger jet, reports TMZ.com.

Travolta claims in his suit that he has continually used the runway adjacent to his $8 million spread within the Jumbolair Aviation Estates complex in Ocala—which boasts the largest paved, private airfield in the country—without incident, and that he was "assured" when he purchased the property in 2001 that he would be allowed to use the nearby Greystone Airport.

Greystone owners James and Christine Garemore have allegedly "doctored" the airport master record to prevent Travolta from landing his jet and to "wreak financial harm" on Jumbolair by forcing a lawsuit against the complex owners, according to TMZ.com.

"At no time during the construction of the aviation-themed residence did the Defendants (or Jumbolair) inform the Plaintiffs…that their rights to use the New Runway had been diminished or otherwise altered," states the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in federal court.

"The Defendants were fully aware that the sole purpose for Hawker acquiring the Hawker property and building the aviation-themed residence…was to accommodate the Plaintiff's use of the aircraft."

Todd Hopson, the Garemores' attorney, told the Ocala Star-Banner last week that, while Travolta has, in fact, been using the airport, the 7,550-foot main runway is no longer suitable for heavy aircraft.

"The runway doesn't meet the requirements," Hopson said. "Twenty years has changed it. The runway has basically deteriorated over the years."

Garemore told the Star-Banner that, while the runway was originally built to accommodate Jones' 707, Jones did not touch down as frequently as Travolta.

"The bottom line of this whole thing is, it's a safety issue," he said. "The runway is not designed for a 707."