2020年经济学人 空中巨无霸A380的贬值(1)

Business

商业版块

Airbus A380

空中客车A380

Superjumbo problems

巨无霸问题

The world’s biggest passenger aeroplane is going cheap

世界上最大的客机正在降价

How much is an airliner¹ worth if it is languishing² on the tarmac, and may never fly passengers again? In the age of covid- 19 that is the fate of many doubledecker A380 superjumbos built by Airbus, Europe’s aerospace³ giant. Once seen by airlines as the future of commercial aviation, many are being retired⁴ early as covid-19 has cast a pall⁵ on the future of globe-trotting. Those still in service could be yours for a few million dollars.

如果一架客机被迫滞留在停机坪上，可能再也不能载客，那它值多少钱？在新冠肺炎爆发的时代，这就是欧洲航空业巨头空中客车公司制造的许多双层A380超大型客机的命运。曾经这些巨无霸被航空公司视为商业航空的未来，但是新冠肺炎给环球飞行的未来蒙上了一层阴影，许多超大型客机被迫提前退役。只需要几百万美元，你就可以拥有那些在用客机。

The A380 was in trouble before the pandemic.Delays meant that by the time it at last flew it had to compete with smaller, more efficient jets. Only 14 airlines ever ordered the 500-plus seater, with Emirates, based in Dubai, operating nearly half the 242 planes delivered. After Emirates cancelled orders for 39 in February 2019, Airbus announced it was winding⁶ down production of the plane.

在疫情爆发前，A380就陷入了困境。延误意味着在最终A380能够飞行时，不得不与更小、更高效的喷气式飞机竞争。只有14家航空公司订购了这种500多座的客机，在生产的242架A380中，总部位于迪拜的阿联酋航空公司就运转着将近一半。阿联酋航空公司于2019年2月取消了39架A380的订单后，空中客车宣布将减产。

All aircraft have lost value as a result of covid-19. But the fall has been unusually steep for A380s. The model’s main attraction for airlines was to relieve congested runways at global hub airports. Now these are empty. Fewer than one in ten working A380s are plying⁷ the skies, according to Flightradar24, which tracks air traffic.Smaller craft are faring somewhat better.

由于新冠肺炎，所有的飞机都失去了价值。但是A380客机贬值的尤为厉害。该机型对航空公司的主要吸引力在于缓解全球枢纽机场的跑道拥堵问题。现在飞机跑道都是空的。据追踪空中交通的Flightradar24统计，只有不到十分之一的A380飞机在空中飞行。小型飞机的情况要好一些。

The aviation industry may not recover until 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association, a trade group. That is a long time to maintain aeroplanes, so some airlines have thrown in the towel. Air France has announced its nine A380s will never fly again, and booked a 500m euros ($588m) write-down in the value of its fleet. Germany’s Lufthansa has cut its 14-strong squadron by six. Singapore Airlines, the second-biggest operator with 19 planes, plans an ominous-sounding “review”.

据贸易组织国际航空运输协会称，航空业可能要到2024年才能复苏。维护这些飞机的时间太长了，所以一些航空公司放弃了。法国航空公司宣布，旗下的9架A380飞机将再也不会起飞，并预订了5亿欧元（合5.88亿美元）的机队，价值减记。德国汉莎航空公司将其14架A380裁减了6架。拥有19架A380飞机的第二大运营商新加坡航空计划要“重新考虑”，这听起来是个噩兆。

1 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

2 languishing   

a. 衰弱下去的

参考例句：

• He is languishing for home. 他苦思家乡。
• How long will she go on languishing for her red-haired boy? 为想见到她的红头发的儿子，她还将为此烦恼多久呢？

3 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

6 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

7 plying   

v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健，向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城