Mingalaba, Mandalay! Solar Impulse in Myanmar
Solar Impulse and ABB land in Myamnar and celebrate a sustainable future.
Arrival in Myanmar
On 19 March, Solar Impulse pilot Bertrand Piccard successfully touched down in Mandalay, Myanmar, completing the 1,408-kilometer journey from Varanasi, India in 13 hours and 29 minutes. Piccard and the rest of the Solar Impulse crew received a warm welcome on the runway:
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- Ahead of the Solar Impulse, the team’s cargo plane arrives in Mandalay with the gear and crew required for landing.
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- Co-pilot André Borschberg arrives in Mandalay with the rest of the Solar Impulse ground crew.
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- ABB engineer Tamara (center) helps coordinate the ground crew in Mandalay
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- The sun sets over the Mandalay airport, as the crew awaits Bertrand Piccard’s landing
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- ABB engineer Tamara (right) checks in with her teammates on Solar Impulse’s ground crew.
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- Getting ready to land: Solar Impulse ground crew in final preparations before Betrand Piccard (look up!) prepares to land.
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- Ready for touchdown: the Solar Impulse circles Mandalay airport as it prepares to land.
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- Excitement on the ground: waiting for the Solar Impulse to land
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- 13.5 hours later: André Borschberg has a warm welcome for his co-pilot Bertrand Piccard
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- Mingalaba! André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard receive a warm Myamnar welcome
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- Time for the smallest spectators: André Borschberg greets some of his youngest fans on the runway.
ABB: Bringing Solar Impulse and solar power to Myanmar
And the next day, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg received an even warmer welcome from central Myanmar’s remote Tada Oo township. As part of ABB’s Access to Electricity program, a 15-year old effort that brings electrical power and educational and economic opportunities to developing countries, the Solar Impulse co-pilots presented ABB solar battery charging units to residents of some of the 10 villages that will benefit from this program. ABB is working with local NGO partner Pact Myanmar to ensure that more than 3,000 people will now be able to access renewable, reliable power in their villages. “I am very touched and excited about this project,” Piccard commented. “It demonstrates that ABB and Pact make our vision a reality.”
Watch Solar Impulse land in Myanmar and learn more about what ABB is doing to ensure that rural communities have better access to clean, renewable solar power:
With ABB’s help, Solar Impulse – and solar electricity – are coming to Myanmar
What’s next?
Solar Impulse will be spending a few days on the ground in Mandalay, preparing for the next leg of the round-the-world journey. The Mandalay airport has presented a few special challenges to the Solar Impulse team – it’s the first time the crew has deployed the inflatable mobile hangar, which houses and protects the Solar Impulse at locations where there isn’t a hangar large enough for the plane’s 72-meter wingspan. We’ll be posting more information about this hangar soon – watch this space!