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You might not be completely familiar with the Belgian cartoon character Tintin, but he's larger than life.
Almost literally.
Brussels Airlines has created a Tintin aircraft, transforming one of its Airbus A320s with a livery inspired by the comic book traveler and adventurer. The airline commissioned fellow Belgian company Moulinsart to transform the livery.
The Adventures of Tintin was a series of comic books created by the Belgian artist Herg, whose real name was Georges Remi.
The livery of the plane depicts a black shark, based on Professor Calculus' shark submarine from the Tintin adventure "Red Rackham's Treasure." The aircraft was baptized "Rackham," and on the fuselage are the words, "We fly you to the home of Tintin."
According to Brussels Airlines, Herg himself was fascinated by planes. They are the most-used means of transportation in the Tintin oeuvre, and they were always drawn with great technical precision.
"This aircraft is a dream come true. The partnership with Brussels Airlines is a perfect marriage for us," Nick Rodwell, director of Moulinsart, said in a statement. "Tintin is all about Belgium, all about Brussels, where he was born, as was Herg. Tintin is also all about adventure and traveling, and with this plane we bring our two worlds together perfectly. We had many ideas about the design of the aircraft - it could have been the rocket from the album 'Destination Moon,' for example - but we unanimously chose the submarine, and we're very happy with the result."
"This partnership means a lot to Brussels Airlines. Tintin is a frequent traveler, discovered countries around the world and met people of different nationalities and cultures during his adventures. Abroad, we feel like an ambassador of Belgium," added Brussels Airlines CEO Bernard Gustin.
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