The Republic of Tajikistan,a Central Asian nation which ranks as the 18th poorest country globally, has purchased Mexico’s presidential aircraft for $92 million dollars, as announced by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner dubbed ‘José María Morelos y Pavón,’ has been controversial since its acquisition in 2012. The plane was delivered in February 2016 and first used by former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on an official flight from Mexico City International Airport to Hermosillo International Airport, Sonora.
Jorge Mendoza, director of Banobras, revealed that the agreement with Tajikistan was made through its State Committee for Investments and Property Management. He further explained that the aircraft’s sale would generate savings for Mexico, as the government would no longer have to pay around 18 million dollars in leasing interest. «Banobras will return those resources to the Treasury of the Federation for use in health sector projects,» Mendoza added.
President López Obrador stated that the proceeds from the aircraft sale would be used to construct two 80-bed hospitals in Tlapa, Guerrero, and Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. He also noted the mixed emotions around the sale, saying, «We are happy, like ‘new rich’ people buying a yacht or a plane like this, happy only on the day it is acquired and the day it is sold.»
Tajikistan, which gained independence after the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, has experienced ongoing political instability due to a civil war from 1992 to 1997. The country’s president, Emomali Sharipovich Rahmon, has been in power since 1994 and is considered one of the dictators of the Central Asian republics that separated from the Soviet Union. Tajikistan’s transitioning economy primarily relies on remittances, aluminum production, and cotton cultivation, with 20% of the population living on less than $1.25 per day.
