Tunisia has sold the presidential plane used by toppled leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to Turkish Airlines (Turk Hava Yolları) for 181 million dinars ($78 million), officials said on Monday.
According to French daily Sud-Ouest, Ben Ali -- who now lives in exile in Saudi Arabia -- only used the plane once to test it before it was outfitted.
Tunisair put the plane on the market in January 2012, saying it had been outfitted with a living room and bedroom "to suit the travel needs of a head of state".
The plane is allegedly purchased for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines has put a total of 30 planes into its fleet of parking positions due to a decreasing number of passengers in mid-November.
In addition, Turkish Airlines has also canceled flights to a total of 22 destinations, 17 of which were international, due to decreasing demand.
USA and France-backed dictator Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia after protests ended his 23 years in power. Afterwards, the new government confiscated businesses, real estate and luxury cars from 114 members of his family.
It has collected about $400 million from sales of the property, though officials say delays and consequent lack of maintenance mean much of the value has been lost.
The Airbus A340 sold to Turkish Airlines had been parked in the French city of Bordeaux for more than five years, Tunisair spokeswoman Amel Bourguiba said.
