2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesian Airlines to Be Banned From Flying to

By Joseph Popiolkowski
Hong Kong
28 June 2007

The European Commission says it is banning Indonesia's airlines from entering EU airspace. Joseph Popiolkowski reports for VOA from Hong Kong that the Indonesian industry's reputation has been hit by a series of air disasters.

Workers inspect a Garuda Indonesia plane inside a hangar at Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, 12 Jun 2007

No Indonesian airlines currently fly to cities in the European Union, but that did not stop the announcement of the ban on flights by Indonesian airlines, which is due to take effect on July 6.

Thursday's move by the European Commission was taken out of concern for consumer safety, it said, and marks the latest in a series of black marks on Indonesia's air safety record.

Luc Citrinot, an air transport consultant¹ based in Bangkok, says he does not expect Asian countries to follow suit with a ban.

"China and especially Japan are heavy investors² into Indonesia," said Citrinot. "Japan has a lot of infrastructure³ projects going on in Indonesia."

"And I think that Indonesia will probably retaliate⁴ against these countries in terms of economic contracts and all of that. And it would be a big political embarrassment⁵ for all the countries in the region if they take such a decision," he continued.

Indonesia's national carrier Garuda canceled its flights to Rome and Amsterdam in 2005 but hopes to resume those services in 2008. Citrinot says the carrier should be able to continue with these plans because they are planning to lease a fleet of aircraft that meet the EU's requirements.

Albert Tjoeng is spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines around the world. He says the Indonesian government will hold a conference in Bali next week to discuss its safety record, and that representatives from international air safety organizations have been invited.

"It's quite clear that the Indonesian government recognizes that they have an issue with safety and they are being proactive in taking steps to improve the situation," said Tjoeng.

An Indonesian jetliner crashed into the sea on New Year's Day killing⁶ all 102 people on board. In March this year, 21 people died in a fiery⁷ crash when a Boeing 737 skid⁸ off a runway.

Also in March, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, announced Indonesia did not comply with safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The FAA downgraded the country to its lowest possible rating.

1 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

2 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

3 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。

4 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

5 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

8 skid   

v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨

参考例句：

• He braked suddenly,causing the front wheels to skid.他突然剎车，使得前轮打了滑。
• The police examined the skid marks to see how fast the car had been travelling.警察检查了车轮滑行痕迹，以判断汽车当时开得有多快。