空難不斷 今年仍是歷史最安全一年

In a week that has seen three major air disasters, just days before the busiest weekend for airports over the summer holidays, questions are being raised about the safety of air travel.

一週3起重大空難。還有幾天就是最繁忙的暑期航空高峯了，人們不禁開始懷疑坐飛機出行是否安全。

After a Swiftair flight crashed today, killing 119 people on board, a TransAsia Airways jet fell from the sky yesterday with 47 dead, and the Malaysia Airlines jet that was shot down over Ukraine last week with 298 fatalities, travellers are asking whether it is safe to fly.

今天，Swiftair公司的客機墜毀，119人死亡。昨天，復興航空的客機從空中摔下，47人死亡。馬航客機在烏克蘭被擊落，298人死亡。出行的人們會問，坐飛機真的安全嗎？

Aviation experts claim 2014 is one of the safest years in air transport history in terms of the number of crashes, however, figures reveal fatalities from air disasters have soared by 300 per cent from last year, including the three major plane crashes in the past week.

航空專家聲稱，從墜毀的航班數量上看，2014年是空運史上最安全的一年之一。但是，包括上週3起重大空難在內，死亡人數和去年相比暴漲300%。

There have been 763 passengers and crew killed in plane disasters so far this year - 498 higher than the 265 people that died in 2013.

到目前爲止，今年共有763名乘客及機組人員在空難中喪生，比去年的265人增加了498人。

It also makes July the fifth worst month in aviation history in terms of aviation disaster fatalities.

從空難死亡人數上看，7月已經成爲航空史上第五危險的月份。

However, air travel experts are urging holidaymakers that it is still safe to fly.

儘管如此，航空專家告訴外出度假的人們，坐飛機還是安全的。

Harro Ranter, president of the Aviation Safety Network, described 2014 as ‘among the safest years in modern aviation history – since 1946’.

航空安全網總裁Harro Ranter指出，2014年是“航空史上自1946年以來最安全的年份之一”。

He added the number of fatal plane accidents this year – including today’s Algerian jet – is 12 – five below the ten-year average to July 24.

今年的重大空難共有12次，包括今天的阿航事件。要比過去10年（計算到每年的7月24日爲止）的平均數少了5次。

‘The recent accidents do not suggest that there is a specific common underlying safety issue.’

“近期的空難事故並不代表航空安全有什麼隱患。”

However, figures by the network, which tracks crashes and fatalities worldwide, reveal the number of people killed in air travel disasters has increased significantly already this year, due to the two Malaysia Airlines disasters.

儘管如此，記錄全球空難和傷亡記錄的航空安全網顯示，今年死於空難的人數顯著增長，原因是兩次馬航事故。

Ranter said: ‘It has been an exceptional year because of these two high-profile accidents, which really mark the safety profile of this year.’

Ranter說：“這兩起特別引人注目的事故讓今年成爲異常的一年。它們嚴重影響了今年的安全記錄。”

‘[The number of fatal crashes is] quite significantly below the 10-year average, although the number of fatalities is markedly higher because of these two high-profile accidents.’

“（致命的墜機事故數）比過去10年的平均值要少的多。但因爲這兩起事故，死亡人數卻非常高。”

According to International Air Transport Association, which represents 240 of the world’s airlines, more than three billion people flew safely on 36.4 million flights last year.

據國際航空運輸協會消息，去年有超過30億人次旅客和3640萬航班安全抵達目的地。該協會擁有全球240家航空公司會員。