Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard safely landed at the Mandalay Interna- tional Airport at 7:51pm (Myanmar Standard time) on 19th March with Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) as it continues its journey around the world without a drop of fuel.
Solar Impulse’s ambitious attempt around the world with the first airplane with perpetual endurance pushes efficiency to an unprecedented level and serves to inspire people and governments worldwide to make a broader use of clean technologies.
“We believe that renewable energies are a source of social cohesion, prosperity and peace” declared the pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, co-founders of Solar Impulse.
It took the pilot 13 hours and 29 minutes from Varanasi (India) to arrive in Myanmar where the team of Solar Impulse and the Si2 aircraft will stay for at least 3 days.
From his cockpit just before the descent into Mandalay, Bertrand Piccard was welcomed by a warm message from the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H.E.
U Thein Sein, delivered by U Win Swe Tun, Director General, Department of Civil Avi- ation, Ministry of Transport. Piccard also spoke with Serge Pun, Chairman of First Myanmar Investment and Yoma Strategic Holdings, Si2’s local partner.
During the upcoming days in Myanmar, the team of Solar Impulse, together with the Swiss Embassy of Myanmar and Host Partner will organize several activities including educational learning sessions with approximately 800 university students meeting with the pilots.
