A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the US on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said.

The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse 2, arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4 a.m. local time completing the latest leg of its quest to circumnavigate the world without a drop of fuel.

"Such a pleasure to land in #NYC! For the 14th time we celebrate sustainability," said the project's co-founder Andre Borschberg on Twitter after flying over the city and the Statue of Liberty during the 14th leg of the trip around the globe.

The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015.

A representative from Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company and host partner of Solar Impulse, attended the arrival of the airport at John F. Kennedy airport.

Lauding the touchdown at New York City, Majid Al Suwaidi, UAE Consul General in New York, said: “We are pleased to have Solar Impulse 2 in New York.  The whole team has shown enormous resolve and commitment throughout their journey which started in Abu Dhabi, and as the UAE we are deeply proud to be supporting this mission."

Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said: “The solar plane has taken an important message from all of us at Masdar to the heart of New York City: through human ingenuity and global cooperation, we can achieve the impossible. Solar Impulse is a symbol of the transformative potential of innovative clean technology, and Masdar is proud to play a role in this global effort to power the future we want.”

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Masdar’s director of sustainability who attended the landing in New York, said: "Having witnessed the plane’s maiden departure from Abu Dhabi, I am proud to see Solar Impulse – a symbol of the same pioneering spirit that drives Masdar every day – arrive today in New York City."

"The zero-fuel plane is an embodiment of Masdar’s own belief in the power of clean energy innovation and global partnerships to transform the world,” he stated.

The solar craft's cruising speed, akin to that of a car, required pilots to take up meditation and hypnosis in training to stay alert for long periods.

Borschberg alternates with fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard at the controls for each segment of what they hope will be the first round-the-world solar-powered flight.

On April 24, Piccard landed in San Francisco, completing a trans-Pacific crossing after a nearly three-day trip that began in Hawaii. The flight took more than three times the 18 hours Amelia Earhart took to fly solo from Hawaii to California in the 1930s.

Hasan Al Redaini, an employee of Mubadala Development Company and the UAE youth ambassador to Solar Impulse, who is accompanying the plane on its round-the-world trip, said: “Si2 proves that unfuelled solar-powered flight is now a reality and not just a vague aspiration for the future."

"On every stage of its journey, the plane has inspired the next generation of innovators and technologists to participate in our efforts to lead the way in increasing the share of renewables in our energy mix."

The propeller-driven Solar Impulse flies without a drop of fuel and its four engines are powered solely by energy collected from more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings.

Surplus power is stored in four batteries during the day, to keep the plane aloft on extreme long-distance flights.

"I’m very happy to be playing my own part in spreading Abu Dhabi’s message that clean energy can help us all secure a sustainable and prosperous future,” he added.

The carbon-fiber plane, with a wingspan exceeding that of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a family car, is unlikely to set speed or altitude records. It can climb to 28,000 ft, and cruise at 55 to 100 kph.

Solar Impulse began its epic journey from Abu Dhabi in March 2015, with stops including Oman, India, China and Japan.

It completed the first half of its circumnavigation of the globe late last summer, after breaking multiple records on a 7,212 km trans-Pacific flight from Japan to Hawaii. Solar Impulse is expected to return to Abu Dhabi in July or August 2016.

In a precursor of their globe-circling quest, the two men completed a multi-flight crossing of the US with an earlier version of the solar plane in 2013.-Reuters and TradeArabia News Service