Solar Impulse 2 completes first leg of its round the world journey

Solar Impulse 2 has completed the first leg of its round the world flight in Oman.

The solar-powered plane took off from Abu Dhabi, heading east to Muscat in Oman.

With businessman and pilot Andre Borschbeg at the controls, the aircraft touched down in Oman at 16:14 GMT after a 12-hour flight.

Over the next five months, Solar Impulse 2 will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

“And there we are… confirmation we’re down. Solar Impulse has touched the ground,” a flight controller said as the plane’s wheels touched the tarmac.

The single-seater vehicle took off at 07:12 local time from Abu Dhabi.

Andre Borschberg will share the pilot duties in due course with fellow Swiss, Bertrand Piccard.

The plane will stop off at various locations around the globe, to rest and to carry out maintenance, and also to spread a campaigning message about clean technologies.

Today’s leg to Oman covered about 400km. Details of the journey are being relayed on Solar Impulse 2 website.