A Boeing 787 Dreamliner of Juneyao Air arrives at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland, June 28, 2019. Juneyao Air opened Shanghai-Helsinki direct air route Friday, providing non-stop intercontinental flight service with wide-body aircraft. The new direct air route will offer more flexible and convenient flight experience to passengers, Juneyao Air said. (Xinhua/Matti Matikainen)

Mexico's president said on Tuesday the government has so far failed to sell his predecessor's luxury $130 million plane that he has slammed as a trapping of power and opulence of an out-of-touch ruling elite.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will return to Mexico after a year-long stay in California as the government explores other options, including sale to a group of buyers or renting it by the hour, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said.

The leftist, who lives frugally and takes commercial flights, made selling the plane a campaign promise along with running an austere government and prioritizing the poor.

"Luxury planes have nothing to do with the reality of poverty that exists in our country," Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference. 

The presidential jet was acquired by former President Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012. It is one of more than 70 government planes and helicopters slated for auction.

The government said it had received two offers above value for the aircraft, however, the potential buyers were unable to secure financing and the deals fell through.