Mexico to raffle off huge presidential jet, sort of

Mexicans will no longer have to stress over where to park a Boeing Dreamliner when their federal government raffles off the elegant presidential jet: the nation’s air force will keep it.

In reality, no one will win the real $130 mn Boeing 787 aircraft in the lottery-style raffle to be kept in the coming months.

Amongst the lots of desperate efforts to get rid of the extremely pricey aircraft, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had actually dabbled the concept of really granting the aircraft to the winner, together with a year’s paid upkeep and parking.

More:

  • Mexico’s brand-new base pay: Thanks for attempting

  • Mexico murder rate hits record high in 2019

  • AMLO’s first year: Issue over security and economy looms

However Lopez Obrador had actually stressed that would trigger issues for the winner, both since of the greed it might let loose amongst associates, buddies and family members, and since the concept had actually been lampooned on social media, with individuals publishing photos of shacks or taco stands with a jet parked outside.

So the president revealed Friday that the raffle will really be symbolic, granting overall reward money of $100 m, which lottery game tickets state is”equivalent to the value of the presidential jet” One hundred winners will divide equivalent shares of the $100 million pot.

“We did not want to award a prize that would be a problem,” Lopez Obrador stated. “You know, the memes, ‘Where would I park it?'”

Rather, he stated, a prize money winner would be complimentary to utilize some of his/her payouts to lease the aircraft for a couple of journeys, at the present per hour operating cost of about $13,500 per hour.

The federal government of Mexico hopes to offer 6 million tickets at about $25 each, raising $150 m. The staying money will pay to keep the aeroplane in flight condition while Lopez Obrador attempts to sell or lease it. Any net profits would go to purchase medical equipment.

The presidential aeroplane at the garage at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico [File: Mexican Presidential press office/AP Photo] 

Lopez Obrador flies coach on business flights and views the jet, purchased for more than $200 m by his predecessor, as inefficient.

The aircraft stopped working to discover a purchaser after a year on sale at a United States airstrip, where it accumulated about $1.5 mn in upkeep expenses.

The jet is pricey to run, is set up to bring just 80 individuals, and has a full presidential suite with a bed room and private bath. Specialists state it would be too pricey to reconfigure back into an industrial airliner that typically brings as lots of as 300 travelers.

Formerly, Lopez Obrador had actually recommended bartering the aircraft in exchange for United States medical equipment or offering it in shares to a group of business people for executive reward programs. He has actually likewise provided to lease it out by the hour, in hopes of paying off the rest of the impressive loans on the aircraft.

Follow AsumeTech on

More From Category

More Stories Today

Leave a Reply