Mexico Still Trying to Sell the Presidential Boeing

In this industry, an airplane with a for sale sign never seems all that odd. When the airplane turns out to be a relatively new Boeing Business Jet—a BBJ 787 Dreamliner no less—people tend to pay attention. Boeing Business Jets are usually purchased for senior executive or VIP transportation and, with a list price north of $200 million a copy, owning a BBJ 787 is not for everyone. There are fewer than half a dozen BBJ 787s in service. There’s an international sales deal cooking, however, to entice just the right buyer for a slightly used BBJ 787 in case one of our readers is interested.

When leadership switched hands in Mexico in 2018, one of the first items on Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s(the country’s new president) agenda, was to open the presidential palace to the public and next to get rid of the former president’s personal airplane—a BBJ 787. Orbrador considers it too ostentatious for the leader of a country like Mexico.

A year later, Mexico still owns the 787 without a single taker even though the value has now plummeted to about $130 million. With no takers in sight, the Mexican government has stepped up its sales efforts which could mean a bargain 787 for some lucky buyer. They’ve tried personally reaching out to more than a dozen potential owners, all of whom have said no. The Mexican government even pitched the airplane to President Trump thinking it might fit somewhere within his business empire, even suggesting a no cash deal. Bloomberg reported Obrador’s plan. “We give them the plane, they can pay us in kind. We need X-rays, ambulances, tomographs, laboratories,” he said. “We didn’t get an answer.” So far there’s been no response from anyone within the Trump organization.

The image above was sourced from Markus Eigenheer/Wikipedia