(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Solar Impulse 2, Si2, the solar-powered plane attempting to become the first aircraft in the world to circumnavigate the globe without using a drop of fossil fuel has delayed its trip to Abu Dhabi.
There is still no word as yet on when the solar-powered plane will begin it's journey from Cairo. It touched down in Egypt on Wednesday and the plane was received at Cairo International Airport by Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation, Sherif Fathy, and the UAE Ambassador to Egypt, Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi. Bertrand Piccard, the co-founder and co-pilot of Si-2 who has to fly the plane, tweeted about the delay saying he prefers to postpone the flight until he feels better and until they can identify another good weather window. The flight was initially delayed due to bad weather conditions but then the pilot developed a stomach illness. According to their official blog, takeoff conditions are tricky in Cairo due to the wind direction at takeoff. The statement read, "We will have to takeoff on a taxiway, which requires special approval from the air traffic control towers. Our takeoff window is only one and a half hours long before low stratus clouds settle over the airport and make it difficult to see. These low morning clouds usually set in at sunrise in these regions. The pilots, Bertrand and Andr, together with the Mission Control Center will undergo a final evaluation of takeoff on the runway." Taking to social media, Piccard tweeted saying, "I'm sick. Stomach upset. I prefer to postpone the take-off. I cannot go flying for 48 hours in that shape. Sorry." I'm sick. Stomach upset. I prefer to postpone the take-off solarimpulse. I cannot go flying for 48 hours in that shape. Sorry Bertrand PICCARD (bertrandpiccard) July 16, 2016 Andre Borschberg, the co-founder and co-pilot of Solar Impulse 2 said, cancelling the flight to Abu Dhabi is not an easy decision but its a wise decision for safety reasons. Cancelling the flight to #AbuDhabi is not an easy decision but its a #wise decision for safety reasons pic.twitter.com/Ma34q34ezl Andr Borschberg (andreborschberg) July 16, 2016 Sources told Khaleej Times that the plane would likely land in Abu Dhabi either on Wednesday or Thursday depending on if Piccard has recovered by then. Sarakshi Rai Sarakshi Rai (Senior Web Journalist) has been in the journalism industry since she was 16, first writing extensively on Formula One and Fashion and then serving in editor and reporter roles in London and India. She has travelled the GCC and South Asia reporting on a number of stories, and has received recognition for her work on the Paris Attacks in 2015, including interviews on BBC Radio and Television. At the Khaleej Times, she works on the web team, and helps writing news and feature stories for the main edition of the newspaper. She holds a MA degree in International Journalism from City University London and a BA in Political Science and History from Jai Hind College in Mumbai. Specialism: Breaking News, Digital and Humanitarian journalism