Solar-powered plane enters Pakistan

Islamabad:The solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), which aims to fly around the globe without a drop of fuel entered Pakistani air space on Tuesday.

It will fly through Pakistan for six hours, Radio Pakistan reported.

Later, the plane will land in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state.

The aircraft, which took off from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday, touched down in Muscat following a trouble-free 12-hour flight.

Capable of flying over oceans for several days and nights in a row, Si2 will travel 35,000 km around the world in 25 days over the course of roughly five months. It will pass over the Arabian Sea, India, Myanmar, China and the Pacific Ocean.

There will be 12 stops en route, which include stops at the Indian cities of Ahmedabad and Varanasi.

The aircraft is also likely to hover above the Ganga river in Varanasi to spread the message of cleanliness and clean energy.

The Si2 is an airborne laboratory and the largest aircraft of its kind ever built, with a weight equivalent to that of a small car. 

With a wing covered by more than 17,000 solar cells, the plane can fly up to an altitude of 8,500 metres at speeds ranging from 50 to 100 km per hour.

After travelling around the globe, Si2 is expected to arrive back in Abu Dhabi in late July or early August.