Abu Dhabi: After crossing America and recently the Atlantic Ocean without a single drop of fuel, Solar Impulse 2 — the solar aeroplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg — took off from Spain early on Monday to attempt the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.
The flight is expected to last two days and two nights depending on weather conditions, said a press release issued by Solar Impulse. This is the second to the last leg of Solar Impulse 2’s (Si2) attempt to achieve the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight, the goal of which is to demonstrate how modern clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
Two-and-a-half weeks after Bertrand Piccard’s historic crossing of the Atlantic Ocean coming from New York, André Borschberg took off at the controls of Si2 from the Seville Airport, Spain, on Monday at 6.20am local time and is expected to land at the Cairo International Airport, Egypt, on July 13 at 9:am local time after a flight of approximately 2,200 miles (3,600km) — a journey across the Mediterranean Sea, from west to east, during which Si2 will fly in the airspaces of Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Malta, Greece and finally Egypt.
This is the largest number of airspaces ever overflown in one go by Si2. The flight also marks the second to last leg of the attempt to achieve the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight and the last flight of CEO and co-founder André Borschberg in the context of this pioneering adventure.
“This flight across Europe will touch a large number of countries, very diverse in terms of culture, climate and geography. But in addition to all being on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, they have a common denominator: the potential benefit of using renewable energies and clean technology,” said Borschberg, currently at the controls of the solar aeroplane.
“After 36,000km, people might start to find it obvious to fly day and night without fuel, but it’s still a very difficult endeavour and the challenge will remain open until the last minute,” added Piccard, initiator, chairman and pilot.
Thanks to the Seville Airport, the Municipality of Seville, the Andalusian Region, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Spanish Air Force with its welcoming Patrulla Águila (Eagle Patrol) squadron, Solar Impulse was able to run efficient and smooth operations during its stay in Spain.
After landing in Cairo, Si2 will be ideally positioned to attempt the last leg of adventure and reach Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the adventure started in March 2015. Together with their team and partners, Piccard and Borschberg are attempting the first Round-The-World Solar Flight with no fuel to show that the world can be run on clean technologies. Solar Impulse’s technologies can already be used not only in the air, but also on the ground, and have the potential to change individual habits, societies and markets in an unprecedented way.
