Solar Impulse debuts international flight
Recovery crew members guide the Swiss solar-powered airplane Solar Impulse after it landed at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, June 14, 2011, where it will be exhibited at the Paris Air Show, which opens on June 20. REUTERS/Michel Euler/Pool

Solar Impulse, a Swiss solar-powered aircraft, landed in Paris on Tuesday to participate in the Paris Air Show, which opens on June 20.

The solar plane HB-SIA, with pilot and CEO André Borschberg, landed at Le Bourget Airport, near Paris after a 16:05 hour long haul flight, Solar Impulse stated on its official site.

“Solar Imuplses’ team looks forward to taking part next week in the Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace de Paris-Le Bourget, the world’s biggest air show,” it said.

The plane first took international flight from Switzerland to Brussels and then to Paris.

According to manufacturers of the green technology aircraft, the propeller plane is powered by four electric motors. It is the first plane which can fly day and night without requiring fuel and with zero carbon emissions.

Solar energy generated from its 12,000 solar cells into its 64.3-meter (193-foot) wings powers the flight.

It took over six years of work by about 50 engineers and technicians to design the aircraft, which is said to be flying at an extremely slow speed of 50 kilometers per hour like an average family car.