Brussels Airlines unveils new Tintin plane

Brussels Airlines on Monday morning introduced the press to one of its new planes, freshly painted with a scene out of Red Rackham’s Treasure, the 12th volume of the Adventures of Tintin comic strip series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé.

The ceremony took place in the presence of mobility minister Jacqueline Galant, Nick and Fanny Rodwell of design group Moulinsart, which owns the rights on Hergé’s work, and Etienne Davignon, chairman of Brussels Airlines.

The Airbus A320 depicts a 37-metre black shark controlled by Tintin, based on Professor Calculus’s shark submarine in Red Rackham's Treasure. The aircraft was painted this month in the Czech Republic by plane artist André Eisele and 20 helpers.

“It’s the first time that Hergé's work has been immortalised on the side of an aircraft,” said a spokesperson for Brussels Airlines. “Hergé was fascinated by airplanes, and they are the most common means of transport found in the Tintin stories.”