Solar Impulse arrives in China saying 'Future is Clean'

Solar Impulse 2, the world's largest solar-powered plane on an historic round-the-world expedition, arrived today in China's southwestern Chongqing city, flying over 20 hours at a stretch only on solar power.

The zero-fuel plane departed from Mandalay of Myanmar yesterday morning and arrived in the Jiangbei International Airport of the metropolis - the fifth leg of its world tour - at 1:35 a.m local time, travelling 20 hours and 29 minutes.

"An amazing opportunity to spread our message in Myanmar and China: Future is Clean," a statement on its website said after its arrival in China, the world's biggest carbon emitter.

Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg are flying around the world in the plane with no fuel, "rising up to technical, human and operational challenges that have never been faced before", it said.

The pilots had to make a steep climb to cross the mountainous terrain in southern China and wore oxygen masks in the unpressurised cockpit, where temperatures fell 20 degrees below zero Celsius.

With Piccard at the controls, the plane flew at high altitude for most of the 1,459-kilometre route - 28,000 feet at its highest point and had to use additional oxygen during the flight that was the most difficult of the trip so far.

Solar Impulse is the only airplane of perpetual endurance, able to fly day and night on solar power, without a drop of fuel. The state-of-the-art plane is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings.

The globe-trotting plane began its journey from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, on March 9.

The single-seater aircraft - made of carbon fibre has a 72 metre wingspan, larger than that of Boeing-747 and weighs just 2,300 kg, equivalent to the weight of a car - touched down two cities in India earlier this month.

The plane will head to east China's Nanjing City after a short stay in Chongqing before heading to Hawaii, attempting the first ever round-the-world flight by a completely solar- powered plane.