A shy former typewriter salesman places orders for US$24bil worth of aircraft

PARIS/JAKARTA: Rusdi Kirana, who placed a US$24 billion Airbus order watched by French President Francois Hollande, has blazed a trail from teenage typewriter salesman earning US$10 a month to airline boss courted by leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.

Together with a $21 billion Boeing order witnessed by U.S. President Barack Obama barely a year ago, the sums spent by his Indonesian low-cost carrier, Lion Air, would easily cover Europe's new bailout of Cyprus -- even after steep discounts.