Flight 714

Flight 714 (originally Vol 714 pour Sydney) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero.

Flight 714 is the twenty-second in the series.

An active volcano and friendly aliens figure in the story. Indeed, the story does appear to have been influenced by the "ancient astronauts" literature in mode at the time.

Hergé made an error when drawing the story. It was only meant to be 62 pages long, but when he finished, it was found to be 64 pages long. Two pages were removed. The two omitted pages were meant to have appeared toward the end of the story, and covered the rescue of Tintin's group from an erupting volcano.

The omission meant that the reader sees a cliffhanger at the bottom of one page where a reporter in a plane who is watching a raft with Tintin's group inside exclaims that "they will be boiled alive!". On the next page, the story suddenly switches to Jolyon Wagg's living room a few days after the previous scene as he watches a TV interview of Tintin and his associates.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The Storyline

Tintin and crew happen upon their old friend Skut, who is now the chief pilot for an eccentric millionare, while changing flights in Sydney.

Offered a ride on a prototype private jet, Tintin and friends are thrown into a devious plot to steal the millionare's fortune by the evil Rastopopulos.