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Solar Impulse Faces Customs Hassles In Ahmedabad

Solar Impulse Faces Customs Hassles In Ahmedabad
Solar Impulse/Twitter

The Solar Impulse 2, which aims to be the first plane to circumnavigate the earth solely on solar power, got a taste of India's legendary bureaucracy today as its departure from Ahmedabad to Varanasi was delayed by several hours Wednesday morning.

Their Twitter handle live tweeted the drama and frustration of dealing with Indian customs. The flight to Varanasi was delayed by around seven hours as the Solar Impulse team experienced delays dealing with Indian custom officials.

From #Ahmedabad to #Varanasi only #PoweredByTheSun! Only a couple of hours left before takeoff! #Flight3pic.twitter.com/7yXJ2C0Ai2

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 17, 2015

At 6 AM, the Solar Impulse was still grounded, their Twitter account posted a photo of Bertrand Piccard, chairman and pilot, looking frustrated because of the delays.

RTW #Flight3 is delayed due to custom issues! #Si2 is still on the ground, @andreborschberg is waiting. pic.twitter.com/7zhn5LXMVM

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

.@bertrandpiccard is negotiating with Indian authorities to solve #custom issues, while @andreborschberg is waiting pic.twitter.com/RZzatVYt8K

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

#LIVE on http://t.co/JIj9tHK6hl, #MCC is ready for takeoff in #Ahmedabad is customs issues are solved. pic.twitter.com/R6WWWN2hZi

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 17, 2015

.@andreborschberg is ready in #Si2's cockpit, but waiting due to custom issues! #LIVE show on http://t.co/JIj9tHK6hl! pic.twitter.com/UE6rTFnQ7G

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 17, 2015

BREAKING: #Si2 could not takeoff due to custom issues in #India. #RTW is a real human adventure! Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/SBGOvUEC0Y

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 17, 2015

The Solar Impulse team didn't let the delays temper their sense of humour, as they whipped out this cartoon poking fun at Indian custom officials.

#RTW#Flight3 is delayed due to custom issues in #India. Negotiations are still going on. Let's keep smiling! pic.twitter.com/AVFbpWvRe2

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

Solar Impulse finally took off at around 7 AM, and has completed 15 percent of the journey, with another 940 kilometres to go. The plane will fly approximately 1127.9km for an estimated time of 15 hours to reach Varanasi. The pilot is practising Yoga to stay calm and complete the journey in the zero-fuel plane. The live webcast of the video from the cockpit can be viewed here.

.@andreborschberg and #Si2 are airborne in #India, flying from #Ahmedabad to #Varanasi, entirely #PoweredByTheSun! pic.twitter.com/XCL3z2uZzs

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

The plane will make stop overs in Myanmar and China, cross the Pacific Ocean to reach the United States, and is expected to arrive back in Abu Dhabi by July.

Update:

The Solar Impulse team asked the Twitterverse for help as they were stuck in Ahmedabad, waiting for Bertrand Pickard to get a stamp in his passport.

The delay could potentially jeopardise the mission as it would ruin the chance for a pit stop, the Solar Impulse Twitter handle stated.

BREAKING: @bertrandpiccard blocked in #Ahmedabad to get a stamp in his passport. Does anyone can help? #Si2passportpic.twitter.com/2jxHq4x2TK

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

In #Ahmedabad, the #solarTEAM is completely sleep-deprived and stuck at the airport! #Si2passportpic.twitter.com/TNFAu6WjcO

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

In #Ahmedabad, the #solarTEAM is still waiting for @bertrandpiccard#Si2passport! Time is running out! pic.twitter.com/44MbE2NW0Y

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

The situation was finally resolved at 2:39 PM IST, when Piccard was able to board a flight to Varanasi.

There is he! @bertrandpiccard and the #solarTEAM should arrive on time for #Si2's landing in #Varanasi! pic.twitter.com/Wu1iJcnPD4

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

UPDATE: #Si2passport issue is solved, #solarTEAM ready to move to #Varanasi.

Many THANKS for your help today! pic.twitter.com/2nNxkROrkm

— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 18, 2015

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.