韩亚悲剧:空难阴影拖累韩亚航空增长前景

The crash landing of an Asiana Airlines jet at San Francisco on Saturday has raised concerns about the South Korean carrier’s safety record at a time when it was already struggling financially.

韩亚航空(Asiana Airlines)一架客机上周六在旧金山降落时失事，令人对这家已经在财务上挣扎的韩国航空公司的安全记录感到担忧。

The accident, which killed two Chinese teenagers, could undermine the carrier’s expansion to serve the growing trans-Pacific demand from passengers in China and southeast Asia. It comes as the lossmaking airline is already suffering from weak cargo demand and high oil prices.

导致两名中国少女罹难的这起事故，可能影响该航空公司的扩张计划，这些计划的目的是满足中国及东南亚乘客对跨太平洋航班不断增长的需求。事故发生之际，这家亏损的航空公司已经在遭受货运需求疲弱和油价高企的打击。

Asiana said the crash landing had not yet had a big effect on bookings, but industry watchers say the company’s reputation is likely to take a hit because the initial focus has been on the pilots’ handling of the landing in the final moments before the crash.

韩亚航空表示，降落事故尚未对机票预订量产生重大影响，但行业观察人士表示，该公司的声誉很可能受损，因为事故调查的初步焦点是飞行员在失事前最后几秒钟对飞机降落的操作。

Lee Gang-guk, who is believed to have been at the controls at the time of landing, was still in training on the Boeing 777 and only had 43 hours flying time on the aircraft.

据信在降落时担任机长的李强国（音，Lee Gang-guk）仍在接受驾驶波音(Boeing) 777的训练，在该型飞机上只有43小时的驾驶经验。

“The investigation will certainly increase concerns over the airline’s safety,” said Song Jae-hak, head of research at Woori Investment & Securities. “There are a lot of trans-Pacific passengers at the Incheon Airport but the recent accident could make Chinese customers become reluctant to take Asiana flights.”

“调查肯定会加剧人们对该航空公司安全的担忧，”韩国友利投资证券(Woori Investment & Securities)研究主管Song Jae-hak表示。“仁川机场(Incheon Airport)有很多跨太平洋乘客，但最近发生的事故可能使中国顾客变得不愿搭乘韩亚的航班。”

Asiana’s president, Yoon Young-doo, said on Monday that media reports blaming the pilot for the fatal crash were “intolerable”.

韩亚航空总裁尹永斗(Yoon Young-doo)周一表示，将这起致命事故归咎于飞行员的媒体报道是“不能忍受的”。

“It’s a training that is common in the global aviation industry. All responsibilities lie with the instructor captain,” Mr Yoon said, adding that Mr Lee had been accompanied by a trainer with more than 3,000 hours on Boeing 777s.

“这种训练在全球航空业是常见的。全部责任由教练机长承担，”尹永斗表示。他补充称，陪同李强国的是一名有3000多小时波音777驾驶经验的教练。

However, travel agents in Seoul say they are receiving inquiries from customers concerned about the airline’s safety. “We have not seen any cancellations yet but customers are checking the type of aeroplane they will ride,” says Shin Sang-chul at Onnuri Tour. “Some customers seem to want to avoid travelling with Asiana.”

不过，首尔的旅行社表示，他们接到了担忧该航空公司安全的顾客的询问。“我们尚未看到任何取消订座的情况，但顾客想知道他们将乘坐哪一种型号的飞机，”Onnuri Tour的Shin Sang-chul说。“一些顾客似乎想要避免搭乘韩亚的航班。”

Saturday’s crash was the airline’s third fatal accident and the second involving passengers since the company began operations in 1988. Two crew members were killed in July 2011 when a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft crashed into the East China Sea after a fire on the main cargo deck.

上周六的失事是韩亚航空发生的第三起致命事故，也是该公司自1988年投入运营以来第二起有乘客罹难的致命事故。2011年，一家波音747货运飞机的主货舱起火，飞机坠入东海，导致两名机组人员丧生。

In July 1993, an Asiana Boeing 737 on route from Seoul in bad weather flew into a hillside on its approach to Mokpo, the southern South Korean city, killing 64 passengers and four crew members.

1993年7月，韩亚一架从首尔出发的波音737飞机在韩国南部城市木浦的机场进场时，在恶劣天气下撞山，机上64名乘客和4名机组人员遇难。

Following the latest incident, Korea’s transport ministry said it would conduct a special inspection into operations of local airlines until August 25, urging carriers to conduct intensive training for pilots who fly to airports with difficult take-off or landing conditions. It will also inspect the engines and landing systems of Korean Air’s 37 Boeing 777s and Asiana’s remaining 11 Boeing 777s.

最新事故发生后，韩国国土交通部表示，在8月25日之前将对本国航空公司的运营展开专项检查，同时敦促各航空公司对飞往起降难度大的机场的飞行员进行强化训练。该部还将检查大韩航空(Korean Air)的37架波音777和韩亚航空剩下的11架波音777的发动机和着陆系统。

According to ministry data, 115 flight accidents have occurred involving local carriers in the past 10 years, resulting in 23 deaths. There was also an increase in safety failures, which surged from 791 in 2011 to 948 last year.

韩国国土交通部的数据显示，该国航空公司在过去10年里发生了115起飞行事故，造成23人死亡。安全故障的次数也有所增加，从2011年的791次大幅增至去年的948次。

Asiana serves 71 cities in 23 countries with a fleet of 80 aircraft, but it has struggled to compete against bigger rival Korean Air. It reported a net loss of Won48.2bn ($42m) in the first quarter, compared with a Won1.9bn loss a year earlier.

韩亚航空的航班网络覆盖23个国家的71个城市，拥有80架飞机，但近年在与规模更大的大韩航空的竞争中力不从心。今年第一季度，韩亚航空报告净亏损482亿韩元（合4200万美元），而去年同期亏损19亿韩元。

Analysts said the crash landing could weigh on Asiana’s lucrative business in China, the carrier’s third-largest market, which accounts for about 15 per cent of its overall sales.

分析师们表示，此次降落失事可能拖累韩亚在中国的盈利业务。中国是韩亚的第三大市场，占该公司总销售额大约15%。

“Half the passengers on board the crashed plane were Chinese . . . So it is hard to say the negative impact will be shortlived as Chinese transit passengers have other alternative ways to fly to the US,” said Shin Ji-yoon, analyst at KTB Securities.

“失事客机上一半乘客是中国公民……因此很难说负面影响将是短暂的，因为中国旅客有其它赴美选择，”KTB Securities分析师Shin Ji-yoon表示。