AHMEDABAD: A pilot who is trying to make history by flying a solar-powered plane around the world launched an angry attack on Indian bureaucracy on Wednesday after a lengthy hold-up in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

Bertrand Piccard, one of the two Swiss pilots of Solar Impulse 2, said he and his team had been frustrated by delays over paperwork in Ahmedabad city in the western state of Gujarat.

The plane landed in Ahmedabad last Tuesday from the Omani capital Muscat after completing an initial sea crossing in its epic bid to become the first plane to fly around the world solely powered by the sun.

The single seater had been due to leave on Sunday for a short flight to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi before heading onto neighboring Myanmar.

But the plane, flown by co-pilot Andre Borschberg, could only leave on Wednesday morning after delays blamed on bad weather, while Piccard’s support team remained stuck at Ahmedabad airport hours after takeoff.

“The delay is (because of) of administration, papers, stamps,” Piccard told reporters at Ahmedabad airport.