State jet may not fly off the market

Santa Fe (KRQE) - It's hard enough to try to sell a used car in this economy, imagine having to unload a used jet. But that is priority number one for the new Susana Martinez administration.

The current state General Services Department is already researching the market for the 2005 Cessna Citation Bravo jet.

"What we have surmised is that might be able to get $2.5 to $3.2 million for it in today's market," Alex Cuellar, spokesperson for the General Service Department, said.

But, owners of similar planes on the market are asking for less.

"The market is saturated," Cuellar said. "There are a lot of planes out there for sale. In this economy, people aren't spending money and companies aren't spending money."

The state paid $5.45 million for the plane in 2005.

The state estimates it spent $641,250 in operating costs on the jet in 2009.

But, it's not automatic that the state will save that money by simply getting rid of the jet.

The state has two other turbo prop planes in its fleet, and those other aircraft may be used more often once the jet is sold.

The Martinez administration said they will "sell the jet and obtain a fair price. More importantly, removing it will send the message that New Mexico is moving in a right direction."