British-Belgian national Mack Rutherford touched down earlier in the day in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, where his journey began, according to Rutherford’s official website and GWR. He first set off when he was still 16.
Rutherford’s route spanned 52 countries across five continents on a specially prepared ultralight Shark aircraft with cruising speed reaching 300 km/h, according to his website.
“I want to use the opportunity to meet young people on my route who do incredible things, making a difference to their communities or even to the world,” he wrote before jetting off.
His journey was tracked on his website, which shows he set off from Bulgaria towards the Mediterranean then through the Sahara, onwards through the Middle East and then East Asia.
He smashed two world records, previously held by his older sister Zara Rutherford, as the youngest person to fly around the world solo and also the youngest person to do so in a microlight aircraft, the GWR website states.
He entered his last leg through the United States, Canada and Mexico before flying back through Europe and landing in Sofia.
His journey even took him to a remote island in the North Pacific, after strong headwinds forced him to land during a flight from Japan to the United States.
“I had a few Oreos for supper and then went to bed in a small shed — but that was definitely an amazing experience,” he told CNN.