2006年VOA标准英语-New Mali Airline Struggles to Take off

By Nico Colombant
Bamako, Mali
04 April 2006

Against a backdrop of financial difficulties and suspect security in Africa's aviation industry, one of the world's poorest countries, Mali, has a new airline company.  But there have been disruptions, as the company tries to take off.

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Malian authorities refused journalists any access to the airport to film or record planes or passengers.

Mali's airline company, known by its French name, "Compagnie Aerienne du Mali," or CAM, has had its own share of problems with authorities in Bamako.

Since it is 20 percent owned by the government, the company's decisions are sometimes blocked.

When a new route began to Paris last year, the service was immediately cancelled, because the company's Airbus plane bore the name of Celestair, rather than CAM.

Celestair is actually a partnership¹ between new private airlines from West Africa.

Mali Aviation CAM Director Bertrand Rivet²  
  
The company's service to France finally resumed last month, without any logo of Celestair or CAM, and with the partnership intact.

The man dealing³ with such headaches and running Mali's new airline is a Frenchman, Bertrand Rivet. He says unlike previous failed attempts at aviation companies in West and Central Africa, like Air Afrique, which were run by governments, a mostly private regional partnership makes sense.

"The goal is to be profitable.  We are in a private mindset," Rivet says. "But, we use local human resources.  And, each company also keeps its identity. It is Air Burkina, Air Ivoire, it is the CAM, it is Air Senegal, so the identity of each country is still present as well."

He says everywhere in the world, airlines are teaming up. He says it keeps planes full when several airlines run regional and international flights together.

Mali's CAM also runs internal flights, with a small 37-seat Dash 8 plane.  Infrastructure⁴ is always a challenge.  One airport, Kayes, has no refueling, so the plane uses valuable cargo⁵ space hauling its own fuel. 

He says unlike in other cases in Africa, his company refuse to make any compromises on security.

"It must be a secure, safe and quality service," Rivet says. "In Africa, after Air Afrique disappeared, a lot has happened. Some operators went looking for money,offering what they thought was airline travel, and exploited in very unconventional ways, planes, without much regulation.  What happened is you have planes from Eastern Europe brought in and we now find a lot of these stuck on the ground not being able to fly anymore.  They also left a few dead bodies behind. That is not at all what we do. It is maybe a little costlier⁶ but, what we want is to go bed at night without worrying too much, and know that we have security on our side."

Mali's new airline is also innovative⁷ in that it offers consumers the possibility to pay with cash online.

"This is a big first in Africa, and maybe in the world," Rivet says. "I am very proud of it. When you do not have a credit card or any checks, you can pay cash, even though you are online. It is not exactly putting your bills directly into your computer's screen, but we work with a banking⁸ partner, which specializes in cash, which takes your order, your ticket is reserved, and once the cash is received, the reservation becomes equivalent to a ticket. Once you get to the airport, we know we can fly you securely, both financially and in the air."

In addition to the government share, Mali's airline is owned 51 percent by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and 29 percent by private investors¹⁰.

One of these is Mamadou Seydou Thiam. He has long worked with the main investor⁹, Karim Aga Khan, a French national of Pakistani origin who was born in Africa.

Thiam says he is proud to help finance Mali's new airline, even if it may take time to see a return on his investment.

He says it is not easy and that, when the plane takes off, there have to be zero problems.  He says security is more important than profit.

Thiam says Mali needed an airline company and that Prince Aga Khan needed an airline in his goal to help develop hospitals, infrastructure, tourist sites as well as renovating¹¹ mosques¹² and museums in Mali.

Thiam feels Air Afrique was not such a bad company, because it never had a fatal accident.  But he says, financially, it was not solvent¹³, and that it showed professionals need to manage airlines.

In Mali, Air Afrique was succeeded by Air Mali, which also went bust¹⁴.

Thiam even worries about what Rivet described as a breakthrough, namely the online cash payment.

Thiam says there must be security here, as well and that funding for it cannot turn into what he calls "monkey's money. " He says it is not because others now have the possibility to easily pay for a relative's plane ticket, that they will be able to afford anything else during their travel.

He says, besides those doing the pilgrimage to the Mecca for the Muslim Hajj, air travel remains¹⁵ the privilege of the upper class in Africa.  

Both Thiam and Rivet welcomed a new European list that recently banned more than 80 airline companies from Africa because of poor safety standards, including 50 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

They say they take their responsibilities of managing an airline company seriously, even if others have previously¹⁶ given the continent's aviation industry a bad name and a dangerous precedent¹⁷, both in business terms and safety. 

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 rivet   

n.铆钉；vt.铆接，铆牢；集中(目光或注意力)

参考例句：

• They were taught how to bore rivet holes in the sides of ships.有人教他们如何在船的舷侧钻铆孔。
• The rivet heads are in good condition and without abrasion.铆钉钉头状况良好，并无过度磨损。

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 costlier   

adj.昂贵的( costly的比较级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather. 鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。 来自互联网
• Disagreements among creditors can be costlier still. 债权人之间的分歧会加大重组的费用。 来自互联网

7 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

8 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

9 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

12 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

13 solvent   

n.溶剂；adj.有偿付能力的

参考例句：

• Gasoline is a solvent liquid which removes grease spots.汽油是一种能去掉油污的有溶解力的液体。
• A bankrupt company is not solvent.一个破产的公司是没有偿还债务的能力的。

14 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

16 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

17 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。