Solar-powered plane takes off from Oman, heads to India

Dubai: A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft has taken off from Muscat, Oman, bound for India on the second leg of its historic round-the-world trip. The Solar Impulse 2 departed just before dawn Tuesday on a 1,465-kilometer (910-mile) journey from Muscat to Ahmedabad, a trip that will take an estimated 16 hours.

Pilot Bertrand Piccard was at the controls of the aircraft, which has the wing span larger than a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. He is accompanied by fellow pilot Andr Borschberg, who founded the company that built the plane.

On Monday, the aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is to make a number of layovers during its 35,000-kilometer (21,700-mile) journey.