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UN chief has video call with Solar Impulse on final leg of journey around world

Xinhua, July 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had a video call with Captain Bertrand Piccard who is on the final leg of the Solar Impulse journey around the world -- nine hours from landing in Abu Dhabi, where its epic journey started over a year ago, a UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

"The call was made available via Facebook live, with more information via our social media platforms, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

The secretary-general told Captain Piccard that "you have flown 40,000 kilometres without fuel. But you have much energy," Haq said.

Ban told the captain that Solar Impulse may be ending its journey, but the journey to a sustainable world is just beginning, Haq added.

Solar Impulse 2 has entered the final leg of its round-the-world flight on Sunday as it took off from Cairo, Egypt to Abu Dhabi, the first time in history an aircraft of its kind has achieved a round-the-world flight using no fuel.

Sponsored by Abu Dhabi-based energy firm Masdar, Solar Impulse began its journey in March 2015 to raise awareness for clean fuel technologies. Endit