Konyuhov is now on his way to land two days earlier than the current round-the-world balloon flight record of 13 days and eight hours, set by American Steve Fossett in 2002.
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“The record is broken – no question”, Wallington told AFP, adding that Konyukhov had flown his balloon nearly exactly over his starting point.
Konyukhov’s route took him from Australia to above New Zealand, the Pacific Ocean, South America, the Cape of Good Hope and the Southern Ocean.
The flight’s coordinator John Wallington said it was an incredible achievement.
On Konyukhov’s website, which has tracked his progress, he has spoken of the strong polar jet stream which pushed him towards Antarctica as he approached Australia, saying it was “scary to be so down south and away from civilisation”.
“This place feels very lonely and remote just a thick layer of cyclonic clouds below me and dark horizon to the east”. No land, no planes, no ships. The temperatures inside the gondola were uncertain, but the heating system could not cope.
Mr Konyukhov’s son, Oscar, told AAP his father had already travelled 34,000km, but would not celebrate until he was safely on Australian soil.
He is now looking to make a safe landing. “It should be a reasonable sort of day to hopefully get him on the ground later this afternoon”.
He said not many people had landed the balloon before and it was a “very unsafe operation”.
Mr Smith, who completed the first solo circumnavigation of the world by helicopter in 1983, was on hand at Northam with his helicopter to assist with the balloon’s landing. The first men to achieve the trip were were Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones who in 1999 flew around the globe together in just 19 days.
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Concerned for the balloonist’s safety, his team conceded they hadn’t even considered the possibility he might break the world record until late on Friday afternoon.
