The Solar Impulse 2 landed in Cairo on Wednesday for its penultimate stop as the solar-powered plane nears the end of its marathon tour around the world.
After the two-day flight from Spain, just one final leg lies between it and its final destination, Abu Dhabi, where it started its odyssey in March last year.
The aircraft landed in Spain last month, after completing the first solo transatlantic flight powered only by sunlight.
After setting off from Seville on Monday morning, the plane passed through Algerian, Tunisian, Italian and Greek airspace, and flew over the Giza Pyramids before touching down at Cairo airport at around 7.10am (5.10am GMT).
Its support crew cheered as the plane, no heavier than a car but with the wingspan of a Boeing 747, landed, and trailed after it on bicycles.
It had finished the 3,745-km (2,327-mile) journey with an average speed of 76.7km (47.7 miles) an hour, the flight organiser said.
Solar Impulse is being flown on its 35,400-km (22,000-mile) trip in stages, with Bertrand Piccard and his Swiss compatriot André Borschberg alternating at the controls of the single-seat plane.
Solar Impulse completed its flight from New York to Seville in 71 hours, flying through the night with the energy stored in its 17,000 photovoltaic cells.
Borschberg and Piccard have said they want to raise awareness of renewable energy sources and technologies with their project.
But Piccard does not expect solar powered commercial planes any time soon. (The Guardian)
PHOTO: Solar Impulse 2 flies over the pyramids of Giza prior to landing in Cairo on 13 July.
CREDIT: Jean Revillard/AFP/Getty Images