China waves goodbye to veteran MD jet

 　　SHENYANG, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A MD-90 aircraft left the northeastern city of Shenyang for its American home on Thursday, ending the service of the last McDonnell-Douglas jet for Chinese airlines.

　　Chinese carriers will no longer operate MD-made jets due to growing market demands, said Lu Changchun, deputy general manager with the north China branch of China Southern Airlines, which has operated the MD-90 jet for over a decade.

　　MD-90 jets were involved in no accidents during the decade-long-service in China, so safety concerns did not lead to their retirement¹, Lu said, adding about 1,000 MD-90 jets are still flying around the world.

　　Lu, however, admitted that supply of aircraft materials was affected² as the production line of MD jets shrank, after McDonnell-Douglas Cooperation was merged³ into Boeing in 1997.

　　MD jets were replaced mainly because Chinese airlines need new models to accommodate air travel demands fueled by the economic boom, Lu said.

　　The north China branch of China Southern Airlines also announced Thursday the retirement of five A300-600R planes, which are replaced by A320 family jets. China Southern Airlines began flying an Airbus A380 superjumbo in China in October.

　　China's domestic air travel market is predicted to grow 13.9 percent annually⁴ by 2014 and transport 379 million domestic air passengers, which will make the country the world's second-largest air travel market after the United States, according to a report released by the International Air Transport Association.

　　Back in the 1990s, a Shanghai-based aircraft maker⁵ assembled two MD-90 jets in China, Lu said, adding the two jets retired⁶ this year.

　　Change of jets model serves the strategic transformation⁷ of China Southern Airlines and meets the market demands, Lu said.

　　Li Jiaxiang, chief of China's civil aviation administration, estimated that over 1.5 trillion yuan (235 billion U.S. dollars) will be invested in the civil aviation industry by 2015, adding about 2,000 aircraft to the country's fleet.

　　Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, producer of China's first self-developed jumbo jet, the C919, has announced that it will complete the design for the passenger plane in 2012. The jet is expected to take off in 2014 and put into service in 2016.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

4 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 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。

7 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。