40% mission complete: 17-year-old pilot reaches Lahore

LAHORE: The 17-year-old pilot Haris Suleman, who is said to be the youngest person ever to fly a plane, along with his father Babar Suleman reached Lahore and completed 40% of his mission, Express News reported on Saturday.

The father-son duo is planning to go around the world in 30 days to raise money for the underprivileged. Before deciding to launch this project, Haris was an active volunteer at the The Citizens Foundation (TCF) local chapters in the US.

So far, the duo has reportedly collected around $0.6 million.



Express News screengrab of the duo's plane landing in Lahore.

For the teenager, who hails from Indiana, United States, the journey is more about raising money for underprivileged children enrolled in schools run by the non-profit organisation than the desire to make a record of the youngest person to fly a plane across the world in 30 days.

On June 19, they set off from Indiana with Haris, who had gotten his private pilot licence only a month-and-a-half earlier, leading the plane.

The trip, which seeks to promote education for underprivileged children, will include five continents, a journey across three oceans, and landings in 15 countries. After traversing 26,000 miles, the Sulemans will return to Indiana on July 8.

The total cost of the journey is $70,000.