Egypt
An aircraft – powered by solar energy – has left Egypt on the last leg of the first ever fuel-free flight around the world.
BREAKING
— SOLAR IMPULSE (solarimpulse) July 23, 2016bertrandpiccardhas taken off from #Cairo for the last flight of the journey to #AbuDhabi #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/2ufDjAS5VK
Solar Impulse 2 climbed out of Cairo on Sunday in darkness, bound for Abu Dhabi – a journey that’s expected to take between 48 and 72 hours.
The carbon fibre plane – which has a wingspan larger than a jumbo jet, but weighs the same as a family car – set off on its epic challenge in March last year.
The Swiss aviators taking turns to fly it are hoping the project will boost support for clean energy technologies.
The aircraft’s four engines are powered solely by energy collected from more than 17,000 solar cells in its wings.
It relies on solar energy collected during the day and stored in batteries for electrical energy to fly at night.
11:17
Egypt: Tourism holds strong despite regional tensions [Business Africa]
01:00
Pix of the Day, 05 March 2026
00:59
Kenya and Egypt hold talks aimed at deepening trade and investment
00:07
High prices keep sales low in Cairo as residents prepare for Ramadan
00:59
Egyptian troops take part in training ahead of AU deployment in Somalia
01:14
Egypt's inflation expected to slow in January as food prices fall