DINH DOONG

She is the world’s biggest pop star and not someone who is accustomed to being kept waiting.

But Taylor Swift had to linger by the runway for nearly an hour Tuesday night after tardy Travis Kelce turned up late for their private flight.

DailyMail.com caught a glimpse of the world’s hottest couple hopping on a swish Gulfstream jet bound for the East Coast. But the getaway didn’t run to plan as Taylor and her dad Scott boarded at 6:05pm while the Chiefs tight end didn’t rock up in his Hummer until 7pm.

The flustered NFL star then tried to drive the huge EV onto the apron only to find the gate locked. Eventually a member of Swift’s armed security entourage was able to ferry him to the $61 million plane and red-faced Kelce dashed up the stairs.

They took off just as his brother Jason was pulling up to the same Kansas City-area airport to fly home to Philadelphia.

Tardy Travis Kelce kept Taylor Swift waiting by the runway as they left Kansas City on Tuesday

The Chiefs star has a weekend off in the NFL, leaving him free to get away with his girlfriend

But the Super Bowl winner kept Swift waiting for almost an hour before catching the plane

Kelce and Swift are heading for the east coast after departing Missouri on Tuesday

The Chiefs have a bye week so Kelce is not due back in training until the team starts prepping for its October 20 clash with the 49ers. He had spent the day entertaining Swift at his sprawling Kansas City mansion after she and Scott flew in 24 hours earlier to watch the Saints game.

They toasted the Week 5 win with a typically PDA-packed display, with footage posted to X of the pair enjoying a post-game kiss and cuddle in Swift’s VIP box.

The Bad Blood singer had raised eyebrows when she was a no-show as Travis celebrated turning 35 on Saturday by throwing a car festival followed by a private dinner party.

But her arrival at the game was widely anticipated after he let slip that she was coming to town while chatting to VIP guests at his Kelce Car Jam event.

Travis at least got to celebrate with his nearest and dearest, with the entire Kelce clan in attendance, including Donna, dad Ed, Jason and his wife Kylie. Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany also roared up in a $500,000 Ferrari 812 supercar – one of multiple pricey motors on parade at Saturday night’s block party.

Proceeds went to Kelce’s 87 & Running Foundation which raises funds for needy kids in Kansas City and Cleveland. The family all headed to downtown Kansas City afterwards for a private afterparty at the swish Aristocrat Lounge above the Midland Theatre.

Donna shared a fun exchange with DailyMail.com when we asked her what she had bought Travis for his birthday. ‘I can’t tell you because I’m giving it to him after Monday’s game,’ she chuckled, before hopping into a limo to head back to her hotel.

Taylor and her father Scott boarded the plane first, only for Kelce to keep them waiting

The singer and her dad got on the plane around an hour before Kelce made it to join them

Travis and Taylor spent the day at Kelce’s mansion in Kansas City before heading to the airport

Swift and Kelce pose with friends after the Chiefs beat the New Orleans Saints on Monday

Swift was back in the stands on Monday night as she cheered Travis and the Chiefs to victory

Speculation about Taylor heading to Kansas City had swirled all week with a rumor circling about her hiring out a popular barbecue joint Wednesday night for a pre-birthday celebration. There were no confirmed sightings of the songstress, however, who has gone to considerable lengths to mask her flight details and whereabouts since the foiled terror attack at her Vienna concert in August.

Swift also wasn’t there to watch the Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 last Sunday. But, according to one well-placed source, her absence was no indication that her romance with Kelce was cooling off: Swift simply doesn’t see much of her boyfriend when he’s playing away games.

Coming solely to home games means they can instead enjoy quality quiet time at Kelce’s ultra-private home which is surrounded by tall trees and shrubbery and can only be accessed by passing a 24-hour security gate.

Set in the manicured grounds of a gated community and far from the public gaze it is the perfect bolt-hole for low-key dates, dinners and movie nights. Kelce and Swift did venture out undetected late last month when swish Kansas City eatery Noka was reportedly closed to the public so they could enjoy an intimate catch-up.

According to Deux Moi, ‘The restaurant was claiming it was closed for maintenance but it’s the same restaurant where Britanny Mahomes had her birthday dinner not very long ago.’