Solar-powered aircraft lands in Ahmedabad

The Solar Impulse 2 takes off from the Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi on Monday

The world's first completely solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse, has started its round-the-world trip.

In the first leg of its journey, it flew from Abu Dhabi to Muscat on Monday. It launched the second leg on Tuesday morning, flying towards Ahmedabad, where it is expected to land on Wednesday after flying nearly 1,465 km over the Arabian Sea. The exact time of landing was not known till the time of going to press.

The single-seater plane is piloted by Bertrand Piccard, one of the founders of the aircraft. Piccard, a Swiss pilot, had made the first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon in 1999. The other pilot, Andre Borschberg, is also flying into the city.

A special hangar has been readied at the Ahmedabad International Airport, where the aircraft would be parked before it leaves for Varanasi, its next stop. The plane's global journey would approximately span 25 flight days, broken up into 12 legs.

The light-weight plane, weighing almost as much as a car (2,300 kg), is made of carbon fibre. Interestingly, it has a wingspan that is wider than many passenger aircraft at 72 metres, and is covered by 17,000 solar cells. The plane can fly up to an altitude of 8,500 metres at 50-100 km an hour.

Companies involved in the project include Bayer AG, Solvay, ABB, and Schindler, among others. During their stay in Ahmedabad, Piccard and Borschberg, will interact with the government, NGOs, universities and schools to spread the message of clean technologies.