Kourtney Kardashian played a huge part in helping boyfriend Travis Barker to overcome his fear of flying, almost 13 years after he survived a deadly plane crash.
On Saturday, Aug. 14, the Blink-182 drummer joined the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, as well as her mom Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, on Kylie Jenner's private jet. The group flew from Camarillo, Calif. to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, marking Travis' first flight since he survived the 2008 crash that killed four people and severely injured him and fellow surviving passenger Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, who would die of a drug overdose months later.
"This has been something that Travis has been working on for some time," a source close to Travis told E! News, regarding the 45-year-old musician's return to the air. "It's something he's wanted to do and to overcome. Kourtney has been incredibly loving and supportive and it is through her love, help and confidence in him that he was able to finally do this. The people that have been close to Travis since his crash are so very excited for him."
Travis, who has feared flying since he was a child, began dating Kourtney, his longtime neighbor who often travels by private jet with her family, last December. In a Men's Health interview published in May, the musician expressed hope of flying again, explaining, "Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it."
In June, he tweeted, "I might fly again."
A source close to Kourtney also said the reality star has helped Travis with his fear of flying, adding, "His life has completely changed since he has been with Kourtney and he feels ready to do anything. She's helped him overcome this fear and he feels like he can do anything with her by his side. He has been wanting to fly for awhile and he felt like finally the time was right."
On Saturday, Kris and Corey arrived at Camarillo Airport first and waited for the couple, an eyewitness told E! News.
"Travis took his time and definitely seemed a little bit nervous," the person said. "Kourtney was very supportive and helped him every step of the way. She made him feel comfortable on Kylie‘s plane with pilots they know and the large size of the plane."
Kylie, who purchased the luxury plane in early 2020 and has posted photos of it on her Instagram, did not join the group. Her multi-million-dollar jet is a Bombardier Global 7500, custom-painted and decorated with pink accents. The 111-foot, 2-engine aircraft contains 22 seats.
The plane crash Travis survived involved a chartered Learjet 60, a jet roughly half the size of Kylie's and which can seat about 11 people. In his 2015 memoir Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums, Travis described the aircraft as "small as f--k." Also manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, Learjet 60s were popular with celebrities.
The model was discontinued in 2012, four years after the aircraft Travis rode on crashed in South Carolina during takeoff due to what the National Transportation Safety Board attributed to "greatly underinflated tires."
Many fans reached out to Travis and Kourtney on social media after photos of him on Kylie's plane were posted online.
"I'm so proud of you facing your fear getting on a plane again!" tweeted one fan. "Takes guts after such a scary deadly situation, brave man."
Another person wrote, "So proud of @travisbarker, this is huge...God bless him and @kourtneykardash. Their love is everything."