VOA慢速英语:坐飞机还安全吗？(中文导读）
中文导读：最近两周空中飞机屡出事故。上周马航MH17在乌克兰地区被导弹击落，造成全机298人死亡。本周三，两架乌克兰军用飞机在同样的领空被击落。而同一天台湾复兴航空公司在澎湖群岛遭遇空难，造成几乎50人死亡。本周四，一辆承载116人的阿尔及利亚客机失踪。这些悲剧都跟随今年早些时候从吉隆坡飞往北京的马航MH370而相继发生。美国暂时停飞了美国到以色列的飞机。人们开始质疑乘坐飞机还是否安全?
It has been a bad two weeks for air travel.
Last week, Malaysia Airline flight MH17 was shot downover eastern Ukraine killing all 298 passengers andcrew. On Wednesday, July 23, two Ukrainian militaryplanes were shot down in the same airspace.
On the same day a TransAsia Airways plane crashed inbad weather on the island of Penghu, Taiwan, killing almost 50 people.
On Thursday, an Air Algeria plane was missing on a flight from Burkina Fasoto Algeria with 116 people on board. Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keitaannounced later in the day that searchers had spotted the wreckage.
These tragedies all followed the mysterious disappearance earlier this year ofMalaysian Airline 370. The plane was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.Investigators have found no sign of the plane or its 239 passengers
Whether a crash is the results of bad weather, broken equipment, pilotmistake or surface-to-air missiles, the question remains – is air travel safe?
Christopher Cruise brings us that story.
U.S. temporarily banned flights to Israel
U.S. flight officials this week temporarily banned U.S. airline companies fromflying to Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. The ban lasted for 24 hours following a rocket strike near the airport.
The temporary ban took place after a Malaysian airplane was shot down overeastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. But experts say that air travel worldwideremains by far the safest way to travel.
Canceled and delayed flights in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 23, 2014.
America’s Federal Aviation Administration bannedaircraft from flying to and from Israel's Ben-Gurionairport. The ban came in the form of what is called aNotice to Airmen. The F.A.A. acted after a rocket struckabout two kilometers from the airport area.
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The European Aviation Safety Agency Tuesday calledfor similar action. Its Safety Information bulletin stronglysuggested that airspace users stop operating to and from the airport in Tel Aviv.
Delta Airlines Flight 468 was on its way from New York to Tel Aviv with 290passengers and crew when the F.A.A. declared the ban. The plane was sentto Paris instead of Tel Aviv. Daniel Leon was aboard that flight.
"Delta had to do what Delta had to do. It’s quite unfortunate that we wereliterally an hour before landing in Ben-Gurion. But, I respect the decision,right. I mean, they’ve got some rules that they have to obey, and theyexplained to us why they were doing it. There was a bit of confusion on theplane earlier on. But, I think, we’re on the ground now, they were extremelyhelpful."
But Israeli officials say there is no security problem. Transport Minister YisraelKatz said there was no reason to cancel flights and no reason to surrender toterrorism.
On Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he wastraveling to Tel Aviv on El Al Airlines to show support for the Israeli people. Healso meant to prove that the airport there is safe. Mr. Bloomberg called theflight restrictions a mistake that would give Hamas an unearned victory.
Marie Harf is a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department. In Washingtonearlier this week, she said the F.A.A. safety notice is meant to guaranteepublic safety. Ms. Harf says it is not a political statement directed at Israelabout its operation against Hamas militants in Gaza.
"I would note that, in 2012, the (State) Department also issued travel warningsfor Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in March, August, and December. So, this is a step we have taken when we felt the situation on the ground warranted it. Obviously, that is a process that we go through that in no way is policy-relatedor politically-related. It is just related to how we can best protect Americancitizens. The FAA makes these decisions when they feel it’s warranted, again, for the safety of United States citizens. And they, in response to the recentattack at Ben-Gurion Airport, in the vicinity of Ben-Gurion Airport, afterconsultation with U.S. operators, felt today that it was important to issue thisnotice."
Malaysian Airliner Crash
Concern about airline safety also follows last week’s shooting down of
Armed pro-Russian separatists stand guard at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. (REUTERS July 2014)
Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. U.S. intelligencesuggests poorly-trained pro-Russian separatists areresponsible. They are suspected of having used aRussian-made surface-to-air missile.
Scott Hamilton serves as an expert in aircraft use withthe Leeham Company. He says the F.A.A. ban is notunusual.
“The FAA has been issuing no-fly zones for quite awhile and, in fact, since the Malaysian (MH17) shootdown, there have been a number of maps that have shown up on the WallStreet Journal and elsewhere that have identified where there are no-fly zonesor restricted-area fly zones that the FAA has issues. And, some of those goback years, if not decades, Somalia, for example, northern Kenya. Thosehave been in existence for quite some time.”
The F.A.A. has also restricted U.S. flights over Ethiopia, Iraq, Libya, NorthKorea, Somalia and Ukraine. It identifies the following countries as possiblehostile areas: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt’s SinaiPeninsula, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Syria and Yemen.
Is Commercial Flying Still the Safest Way to Travel?
Airline Captain John Cox is also chief executive officer of the Washington-based company Safety Operating Systems. He says it is very safe to flycommercial aircraft.
“In spite of the tragic loss of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and the MalaysianFlight 370, it has never been safer to fly. We flew 3.3-billion passengers lastyear. We had the lowest fatality rate in recorded history. These tragedies donot change the fact of the safety of our aviation system.”
Mr. Cox expressed deep concern about non-military groups having weaponslike the SA-11 air-defense system.
“The failure to correctly identify that airplane (MH17) was unconscionable, it was inept. Military organizations don’t have that kind of failure. Never inhistory have we had a surface-to-air missile rise to a cruising altitude of acommercial jet, over 30,000 feet (9100 meters).”
Mr. Cox said there are not great numbers of such missile systems inexistence. He added that there will be a joint effort to restrict flying overairspace in areas where open conflict happens.
I’m Christopher Cruise.
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