Banker, Gil Azevedo, who lives in Dubai, set the record by travelling around the globe on scheduled flights in 55 hours and 47 minutes. The journey took place between 12 and 14 February, starting in Shanghai, from where he travelled to Auckland, New Zealand, followed by Buenos Aires in Argentina, then on to Paris.
From the French capital he travelled to Moscow, then back to Shanghai.
The previous record had been set by British Monk, Michael Bartlett, who did the trip last year in 57 hours and 27 minutes.
In comments to UAE newspaper, The National, Azevedo, a banker with Emirates Islamic, explained that two of the requisites for the record to be set were that he must travel through two opposing points on the globe – in this case Shanghai and Buenos Aires – and travel at least 40,000 kilometres.
The Portuguese man told the newspaper that every step of the journey had to be documented to prove the achievement: “In all airports and on all flights I had to have witnesses and I had to take photos and videos every two hours. I never slept for more than two hours at a time.”
He also said he had been inspired by the novel ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ by Jules Verne, and told The Nation that his attempt “echoes the Portuguese explorers who conquered the New World in the 15th Century.”