Mexico's presidential plane lands at Benito Juarez International Airport.
Mexico City:
Mexican luxury presidential jet Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants to return to Mexico on Wednesday, more than 1 1/2 years after he sent him to the United States in search of a buyer.
Mexico struggled to sell the opulent Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which left-wing Lopez Obrador viewed as a symbol of excess and corruption under previous governments in a country where around half the population lives in poverty.
Lopez Obrador announced the plane's return early Wednesday, and television footage showed the plane landing at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City in the afternoon, where it was to enter the President's hangar.
The jet was purchased by former President Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012 and has marble-lined bathrooms. The aircraft was reconfigured to only fly 80 people. It has a "presidential suite" and a private bathroom.
The sale was partially hampered by Lopez Obrador's unwillingness to accept offers below the US $ 130 million value, although the plane may have lost value as it remained unused in Southern California.
Lopez Obrador's unorthodox plans to sell the plane included a raffle where the plane should be the price. He later said the raffle would be a lottery-style event where 100 winners would each receive about $ 1 million instead of the plane.
Earlier this month, the government said Mexico was considering a $ 120 million bid for the jet after an unidentified potential buyer offered to pay part in cash and part in medical equipment.
Lopez Obrador said the bidder is still interested and has even made an advance payment without further details.
Mexico was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Medical care is scarce in hospitals and the country has the fourth highest death rate from the virus worldwide.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
