Mexican president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador has repeatedly said he won’t travel by presidential jet. Whether he decides to sell or rent it, he hopes to funnel the money from the expensive craft into social programs for the country. And while being grounded for three hours may tempt even the noblest of us to turn back on that decision, AMLO remained resolved to never travel by presidential jet.
On Thursday, AMLO boarded a plane Mexico-City bound plane in Oaxaca, but because of heavy rain, the takeoff didn’t come until hours later. As people lined the aisles to catch a glimpse of AMLO, the president-elect casually hung out in his seat, sitting slightly askew so his back rested on the window. In one video, he said he stands by his decision to take a commercial flight. “I wouldn’t get on the presidential plane for that reason,” he said. “I would be ashamed, se me caería la cara de vergüenza (if I boarded) a plane that was so luxurious in a country that has so much poverty.”
Currently, Enrique Peña Nieto uses the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which comes with a $218.7 million price tag.
While many think it’s wild that the future president had to wait it out like everyone else, perhaps what’s most surprising is that people had unprecedented access to him. As a matter of fact, people recently criticized Yuya – a Cuernavaca-born vlogger – for having a bigger security team than AMLO. In footage from the plane, it’s clear people are literally an arm’s length away.
Check out the video below.