Mexico’s presidential plane, which has gone unused since President López Obrador took office in 2018, will be used to transport Mexican athletes to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, this summer.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been on the market for three years and a buyer has yet to be found.

It was flown to Victorville, California, this morning to undergo maintenance.

Finance Minister Arturo Herrera said he expects the plane to return at the end of June in time to take athletes to the Games, which begin on July 23.

He also confirmed that the plane is still up for sale, and that the United Nations continues to assist in its sale.

In Victorville, the aircraft has returned to a second home: the plane was previously stored at the airfield for about 19 months awaiting a buyer.

It was brought back to Mexico in July 2020 for a raffle, for which it had been named as a prize but in the end cash sums of the plane’s equivalent value were awarded to winners.

The plane was bought by former president Felipe Calderón for US $218 million and was used by the leader of the last administration, Enrique Peña Nieto.

The 2020 Olympic Games, delayed for one year by the Covid-19 pandemic, are set to go ahead despite protests in Japan amid a recent wave in infections and low vaccination rates.

Source: Forbes (sp)