Eurovision News Events

SOLAR IMPULSE - FIRST ROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
24-25 JULY 2016

10 days after André Borschberg’s arrival in Cairo following the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea, Bertrand Piccard took off with Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) for the final leg of the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight – a pioneering endeavor considered impossible by many when initiated 15 years ago. Si2 is now heading to Abu Dhabi where it should land after a flight of two days and two nights, depending on weather conditions.

Solar Impulse was born in Switzerland, from the minds of two Swiss pioneers, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. They have set out to achieve something that still seems impossible today: the First Round-The-World Solar Flight, powered only by the sun, with no fuel or polluting emissions.

Two men, both pioneers, innovators and pilots, are the driving force behind Solar Impulse. Bertrand Piccard, a medical doctor specialized in psychiatry, explorer and aeronaut, who made the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight, is the initiator and chairman. André Borschberg, an engineer and graduate in management science, a fighter pilot and a professional airplane and helicopter pilot, is the co-founder and CEO. The former’s avant-gardist vision and the latter’s entrepreneurial and managerial experience are an ideal combination.

In line with the Piccard Family tradition of scientific exploration and protection of the environment, Solar Impulse wants to demonstrate that clean technologies can achieve impossible goals. The record breaking solo flight of 5 days and 5 nights without fuel from Nagoya to Hawaii gives a clear message : everybody could use the plane’s technologies on the ground to halve our world’s energy consumption, save natural resources and improve our quality of life.

Eurovision will be uplinking the arrival of the Solar Impulse at the Abu Dhabi airport and distributing live via Eurovision World Feed.

EUROVISION Special Events, in cooperation with Solar Impulse, will offer the following broadcasting facilities:

• HD / SD Standup position for Live programme inserts
• HD / SD Playout
• HD / SD Connectivity to the Eurovision Global Network

For bookings and information, please contact Eurovision Special Events
tel +41 22 717 2840 newsoperations@eurovision.net
Twitter: @EVspecialevents