In a tribute to French aviators Paul Klein and Henri Martinet’s groundbreaking 1939 plane journey from Nouméa to Paris, two veteran French microlight aircraft enthusiasts, Marc Perdu and Tiriault Christian, have arrived in Karachi en route to 15 other countries
“We want to show that there is still some freedom in this highly-terrorised world,” they said while addressing a press briefing at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.
The French pilots had arrived in Karachi on Monday afternoon on their Dynamic W29 microlight plane named ‘Spirit of Nouméa’.
They had commenced their voyage on September 18 from Paris aiming to reach Nouméa (capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia) on November 14 after travelling around 21,481 kilometres, visiting 31 cities in 15 countries including Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Caledonia.
Talking to Pakistan Today, the pilots said they encountered many problems from aviation authorities in getting permission for entering the airspace above many countries, especially Pakistan due to its engagement in war on terror. “The things seem to be getting smoother now.”
The aviation enthusiasts are travelling on tourist visas.
During the press conference, the pilots said that besides commemorating the 1939 flight of French aviators, their expedition was an adventure.
To a question on choosing Karachi as one of their destinations, they replied that it was because the first Air France flight to Hong Kong in 1938 had made a brief stop in Karachi.
Perdu and Christian also plan to retrace their trail next year.
