2 Indian Cities Among Landing Stops Planned By Swiss Aviators

Payerne (Switzerland): Ahmadabad and Varanasi are the two Indian cities among the dozen landing stops planned by two renowned Swiss aviators for their round-the- world trip on a solar-powered aircraft in March next year.

"If we get the permission from the Indian authorities, we will be landing in Ahmedabad and Varanasi during the first- ever round-the-world flight on a solar powered aircraft in March 2015," Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg told a visiting team of Indian reporters at a military facility here.

56-year-old Piccard, who completed the first non-stop flight around the world in an air balloon in 1999, said he and his team were hopeful of getting permission for landing in the two Indian cities.

"The discussions are ongoing with various authorities including Director General Civil Aviation, Ministry of External Affairs and Civil Aviation Ministry and we are hopeful of getting the permission," he said.

He said they were also looking at the possibility of making a landing the aircraft - which has been named Solar Impulse - in China.

Piccard said the single-pilot aircraft will take off from Abu Dhabi around March 1 next year and reach India for its first stop before carrying onwards journey to Far East and across the Pacific Ocean into the United States.

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