Stops in China are important landmarks on the route of the Solar Impulse II, the first solar-powered plane to circumnavigate the world, said mission flight director Raymond Clerc.

This is because China is a big market for environmentally friendly technology, and the Solar Impulse II will raise awareness of this project in China, Clerc said on Saturday.

The plane took off on Monday in Abu Dhabi at 7:12 am local time. Its flight plan called for stops in various cities, including Muscat in Oman, Varanasi and Ahmedabad in India, Chongqing and Nanjing in China and Phoenix, Arizona in the United States.