Lion Air co-founder awarded Legion d'Honneur

JAKARTA. French President Francois Hollande awarded a Légion d'Honneur, the highest honor given by the French government to civilians and military personnel, to the co-founder of Indonesia largest low-cost carrier Lion Air Group, Rusdi Kirana, on Wednesday.

The award was given due to Lion Air’s historic order of 234 airplanes from French jet manufacturer Airbus in 2013, the biggest purchase from an airline ever received by the company. The purchase was also seen as helping to spur the growth of the French economy.

"I dedicate this award to this country [Indonesia]," Rusdi said in an official statement.

Rusdi currently serves as a Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) member.

The Lion Air Group is currently receiving 30 A320-200 CEO and three A330-300 airplanes from the order. (Fedina S. Sundaryani)