Taylor Swift’s gas-guzzling private jet is back in action after a lengthy break and multi-million dollar makeover – complete with a new identity.
The Daily Mail has learned the singer has now changed the plane’s registration number in an effort to keep its movements hidden, following backlash over her heavy use of private flights.
The pop superstar was famously accused of making at least 170 journeys in the Dassault Falcon 7X in 2023 – enough to circle the globe seven times and emitting an astonishing 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide.
Despite its rebrand, the luxury plane was quickly tracked down by Jack Sweeney, the college student turned celebrity flight sleuth who has made a name for himself monitoring the movements of the rich and famous.
Sweeney, 24, discovered that the aircraft was back in use after nine months at a maintenance facility in Little Rock, Arkansas.
He also found Swift’s plane had returned with a brand new livery after a comprehensive inspection of its systems and structure, called a ‘C Check’.
He estimates the work would typically cost between $2 and $5 million, and take three months but says that with Swift’s plane being sidelined for longer, the cost could have climbed as high as $15 million.
While the overhaul is expensive and even pricier for luxury add-ons, Sweeney notes it would be necessary for a plane that is 16 years old.
Sweeney, who runs a website and social media platforms tracking the flights of household names such as Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump, has previously been in hot water thanks to his jet stalking.
The former Florida college student was infamously sent a ‘cease and desist letter’ by Swift’s lawyers in December 2023 claiming he was assisting stalkers by posting the whereabouts of Swift’s two private jets online. One was sold in early 2024.
But Sweeney has continued to monitor her flights, arguing that the information is publicly available and serves the public interest.
Since its return at the beginning of March, Sweeney has tracked Swift’s plane numerous times.
In the last few days, it has traveled to Nashville, New York and Augusta, Georgia, where fiancé Travis attended the Masters golf tournament on a ‘boys weekend’.
Sweeney told the Daily Mail: ‘There are a couple of solid references that back up the cost and timing.
‘Major C checks on the Falcon 7X occur every 96 months or 4,000 cycles, and they specifically say the C checks can run in the $2–5 million range, with the 16‑year landing gear overhaul around $750,000 .
‘A C check is required every eight years or 4,000 cycles, and in that case the aircraft received its second C check [called a 2C check] along with a full landing gear overhaul at the 16‑year mark.
‘That’s why the assumption fits here: the aircraft is 16–17 years old, so even with low flying activity, the time‑based maintenance interval alone puts it squarely in the 2C window.
‘Just like your car needs maintenance at certain mileage or time intervals, a jet is even more strict and far more particular. The inspections are mandatory, not optional.
‘It also spent a long period out of service, though there’s no way to know whether that was due to inspection findings or optional modernization work,’ added Sweeney.
‘What we can say is that heavy maintenance on aircraft is extremely structured, and major events like 2C checks are unavoidable at these intervals.
‘The internal scope isn’t visible from the outside, but the fact that it emerged with a completely new paint scheme and a new tail number is certainly telling, of the notability of this aircraft, and it’s owner.’
The aircraft’s return avoided detection until Sweeney discovered that Swift’s team had changed its ‘special registration number’.
The jet has been allowed a ‘special registration number’ by the Federal Aviation Administration to protect the owner’s privacy and personal safety.
The previous number was N621MM and official FAA documents rubber stamped the change.
The documents also confirmed that the jet’s owner has remained the same, Island Jet Inc, based in Nashville, and Swift hasn’t secretly sold it.
Swift quietly sold her other private jet, tail number N898TS, two years ago after the furor over its carbon dioxide output.
Fans believed the 89 in the registration number represented Swift’s birth year of 1989, plus her initials ‘TS’.
Sweeney clashed with Swift’s lawyers over his ‘jet stalking’. They told him in a legal letter: ‘While this may be a game to you, or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter for our client.
‘Ms Swift has dealt with stalkers and other individuals who wish her harm since she was a teenager… the reality has forced our client to live her life in a constant state of fear for her personal safety.’
Sweeney ignored the threat and released a YouTube video in April 2024 of all Taylor’s flights from 2023, totaling at least 170 journeys according to Sweeney, and would be enough to fly around the world seven times.
The video concludes with the info that ‘Swift’s two private jets flew 178,000 miles in 2023, emitting 1200 tons of C02 in the process. That’s 83 times the average American.’
He adds a direct Taylor quote, saying: ‘Jet lag is a choice.’
Sweeney refuses to stop tracking Swift’s jet, publishing its journeys on his flight monitoring website Ground Control, plus X, Reddit, Telegram and BlueSky.
He adds: ‘Ground Control’s flight tracking bot has been tracking her jet since its return already on many platforms.’
