VOA慢速英語：空客公司停產(chǎn)全球比較大的A380客機

Airbus to Stop Making World’s Largest Passenger Plane

空客公司停產(chǎn)全球最大的A380客機

European aircraft maker Airbus has announced it will stop making the world's largest passenger airplane.

歐洲飛機制造商空客公司宣布將停止生產(chǎn)全球最大的客機。

The French-based manufacturer said Thursday it plans to stop making the Airbus A380 in 2021. The A380 made its first test flight in 2005 and began carrying passengers two years later.

這家總部位于法國的制造商周四表示，該公司計劃在2021年停止生產(chǎn)空客A380。A380于2005年首次試飛，并于兩年之后開始搭載乘客。

The A380 is the largest commercial airplane operating today. The plane has two full levels of seating and normally is equipped to carry at least 500 people.

A380是目前運營的最大的商用飛機，這種機型有兩整層座位，通常座位配置可以搭載至少500人。

The announcement came after the company experienced major drops in demand and sales of its A380 in recent years.

空客公司在發(fā)布該公告之前，經(jīng)歷了對A380的需求和銷量的大幅下降。

In the latest decision, Emirates – Airbus' largest buyer of the A380 – chose to cut the number of aircraft it had already ordered. Airbus officials said Emirates' decision left the company with no "order backlog" to support continued production of the plane.

空客A380的最大買家阿聯(lián)酋航空公司最近決定削減已經(jīng)訂購的飛機數(shù)量?？湛凸竟賳T表示，阿聯(lián)酋航空公司的決定使得該公司沒有“積壓訂單”來支持飛機的繼續(xù)生產(chǎn)。

Airbus chief Tom Enders said the decision to end the A380 program was a "painful" one. "We've invested a lot of effort, a lot of resources, a lot of sweat...but we need to be realistic."

空客公司負責人湯姆·恩德斯(Tom Enders)表示，終止A380項目的決定是痛苦的。他說：“我們投入了大量精力、資源和汗水，但是我們必須現(xiàn)實一點。”

The decision could affect up to 3,500 jobs. It already cost Airbus about $523 million in losses in 2018, the company said.

該決定可能會影響多達3500個崗位。該公司表示，A380項目在2018年給空客公司造成了大約5.23億美元的虧損。

Airbus said it would enter talks with labor unions in coming weeks over jobs that could be affected. Most of the positions at risk are in France and Germany, but workers in Spain and Britain also could be affected.

空客公司表示，未來幾周將會跟工會就可能受影響的工作崗位進行談判。大多數(shù)處于風險中的崗位都在法國和德國，但是西班牙和英國的員工可能也會受到影響。

In a statement, the head of Emirates said the airline had been a strong supporter of the A380 from the beginning. It said the plane had become a favorite among many passengers and crew members. The decision to cancel the orders marked "the reality" of the current situation, the statement said.

阿聯(lián)酋航空公司的負責人在一份聲明中表示，該公司從一開始就是A380客機的堅定支持者。該公司稱該機型曾經(jīng)成為許多乘客和機組人員的最愛。聲明稱，取消訂單的決定標志著當前現(xiàn)實的形勢。

Emirates said it had reached a new $21.4 billion deal with Airbus to replace some of the A380 orders with A350 wide-bodies and smaller A330 planes.

阿聯(lián)酋航空公司表示已經(jīng)同空客公司達成一項214億美元的新協(xié)議，用A350寬體和A330小型客機替換部分的A380訂單。

Airbus has promised airline companies it will keep supporting the more than 230 A380s currently in operation.

空客公司向航空公司承諾將會繼續(xù)支持目前運營的230多架A380飛機。

At first, many industry experts expected the A380 to outlast the Boeing 747, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. But many major airlines are increasingly turning to more mid-size planes to support regional flights.

許多行業(yè)專家最初預計A380飛機將會比今年迎來50周年慶的波音747飛機更為“長壽”。但是大型航空公司越來越轉(zhuǎn)向更多的中型客機來支持區(qū)域性航班。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布萊恩·林恩報道。