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思維導圖：
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Asia | Disaster in Ahmedabad
經濟學人亞洲|艾哈邁達巴德空難
英文部分選自經濟學人20250612更新的亞洲板塊
（本文官網無音訊）
Asia | Disaster in Ahmedabad
經濟學人亞洲|艾哈邁達巴德空難
India’s tragic crash comes amid a rapid expansion of air travel
印度航班起飛即墜，擴張之際釀悲劇
An Air India jet to London came down moments after take-off
印度航空一架飛往倫敦的班機在起飛後不久墜毀
TRAGEDY STRUCK India on the afternoon of June 12th. Air India flight 171 crashed moments after take-off from the airport in Ahmedabad, the biggest city in the western state of Gujarat. The Boeing 787 came down in a densely built-up area, exploding in a fireball. It was carrying 242 people. The plane last reported climbing to 625 feet at a ground speed of 200mph (322kph), according to data from Flightradar24, a flight-tracking service, before losing altitude. The pilots reportedly issued a mayday call in the final moments of the flight. Ahmedabad-based media say that the plane crashed into a medical-college hostel as students were eating lunch. Emergency services are on the scene.
6月12日下午，印度發生了一場悲劇。印度航空171號航班從西部古吉拉特邦最大城市艾哈邁達巴德機場起飛不久後墜毀。這架波音787墜落在市區一處人口密集的地段，爆炸產生巨大火球。機上共載有242人。根據航班跟蹤平臺Flightradar24的資料，最後記錄顯示，飛機在失去高度前正以每小時200英里（322公里）的地速，爬升至625英尺（190.5米）的高度。據報道，飛行員在最後時刻發出“Mayday”緊急求救訊號。艾哈邁達巴德當地媒體表示，飛機墜毀時撞上一所醫學院的宿舍，當時正值學生午餐時間。目前，緊急救援工作正在進行。
The flight was heading to London’s Gatwick airport. Air India said that 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and a Canadian were on board. Vijay Rupani, the chief minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021, was on the flight. The number of dead is unconfirmed, though it is likely to be big. Gujaratis make up a substantial chunk of those of Indian heritage in Britain, and there are deep commercial, social and family links between the state and the country. Gujarat is the home state of Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, who called the tragedy “heartbreaking beyond words”.
此航班原定飛往倫敦蓋特威克機場。印度航空表示機上載有169名印度公民、53名英國公民、7名葡萄牙公民及1名加拿大公民。曾在2016年至2021年擔任古吉拉特邦首席部長的維賈伊・魯帕尼(Vijay Rupani)也在該航班上。儘管死亡人數尚未確認，但傷亡恐怕不輕。古吉拉特人在英國印度裔群體中佔很大比例，古吉拉特邦和英國之間有著很深的商業、社會和家族聯絡。古吉拉特是印度總理納倫德拉·莫迪（Narendra Modi）的故鄉，他表示此事故“令人心碎，難以言表”。
So soon after the catastrophe, its cause is unknown. But this is the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787, the most modern widebody jet produced by the American planemaker, which is trying to recover from years of reputational damage after crashes involving its narrowbody 737 Max 8. It also comes as Air India attempts to restore its own reputation. Formerly owned by the government, the airline had become associated with chronic delays and indifferent service. It was privatised in 2022 and is now controlled by Tata Group, the country’s largest private business. It has since been overhauling its services, not least with an order for 470 new jets.
災難發生不久，事故原因尚未明確。但值得注意的是，這是波音787系列自投入運營以來首起致命墜機事故。作為美國飛機制造商波音公司最先進的寬體機型，787曾被寄予重振波音聲譽的厚望，而此前，波音因737 MAX 8窄體機型系列的連環事故而飽受質疑。與此同時，印度航空也在全力重塑自身聲譽。印度航空曾為國有企業，長期以來因航班延誤和服務欠佳而飽受詬病。2022年印度航空進行了私有化改造，目前由印度最大的私營公司塔塔集團控股。私有化後的印度航空正全面推進服務升級，包括訂購470架新飛機。
Indian aviation has been booming in recent years, with the number of airports, travellers and routes both domestic and international expanding at a blistering pace. Over the past decade modern airports have opened on the outskirts of many Indian cities, including Rajkot in Gujarat itself. Ahmedabad is one of the few major cities where the airport is still in the middle of a dense urban environment. A new airport around 80km away is in the works.
近年來，印度航空業發展迅猛，無論是機場數量、旅客人數，還是國內外航線都在急速增長。過去十年裡，包括古吉拉特邦的拉傑果德在內，印度很多城市的郊區都新建了現代化機場。不過，艾哈邁達巴德是少數幾個機場仍位於人口密集城區中心的大城市之一。80公里外的新機場仍在籌建中。
Indian aviation is broadly safe. The country’s rating on an index prepared by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN body, is above the global average but well below Western nations or even China. And it has a record of learning from disasters and adapting, most notably after a mid-air collision over Delhi in 1996, which led to big changes in the way airspace is used. Flyers tend not to worry about safety. Indigo, launched 18 years ago and now the market leader, has a spotless record and the youngest fleet of any major airline on the planet, with an average age of around four years. Air India’s fleet is nearly twice as old, but that will change as it takes deliveries of new aircraft. This is Air India’s first fatal accident since privatisation.
印度的航空業總體上是安全可靠的。根據聯合國機構國際民航組織（ICAO）釋出的安全指數，印度的得分高於全球平均水平，但仍低於西方國家，甚至低於中國。印度在歷次事故中善於吸取教訓並及時調整，最典型的例子是1996年德里上空的空中相撞事件，促使印度對空域的使用方式做出了重大改革。在普通乘客心中，航空安全並非嚴重隱憂。靛藍航空（Indigo）成立於18年前，如今已成為航空市場的領軍者。該航空公司有著無可挑剔的業績記錄，並且在全球所有大型航空公司中擁有最年輕的機隊，平均約為4年。相比之下，印度航空的機齡差不多是靛藍航空的兩倍，但隨著新飛機的交付，這種情況也將隨之改變。這次是印度航空自私有化以來首次發生致命事故。
Just ten days ago airline CEOs were in India for the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association, a trade body.India is the world’s fourth-largest aviation market and expected to rapidly rise to third place, after America and China. The industry gives off a palpable sense of excitement and opportunity—every week brings news of new destinations being launched by Indian carriers including Air India and Indigo and new connections to India by foreign airlines.
就在十天前，各大航空公司執行長齊聚印度，參加行業組織國際航空運輸協會（IATA）的年會。印度現為全球第四大航空市場，預計將迅速躍升至第三位，僅次於美國和中國。航空業給印度帶來真切可見的活力和機遇，每週都有關於印度航空和靛藍航空等本土航司開通新航線的訊息，以及外國航司直飛印度新航班的報道。
Indians’ appetite for air travel is unlikely to slow much. They have in recent years taken to the skies with gusto. Domestic air-passenger numbers grew from 137.6m in 2019 to 228m in 2024. The number of domestic routes rose to 823 by March last year from 646 before the pandemic. The organised hotel industry is expected to add half as many rooms again between now and the end of the decade. As Indians’ incomes rise, that trend seems unstoppable.
印度民眾對航空出行需求不太可能大幅減退。近年來，印度民眾對航空出行的熱情仍在升溫，國內航空旅客數量從2019年的1.376億人次增長至2024年的2.28億人次。截至去年三月，國內航線數量已由疫情前的646條增至823條。從現在到2030年底，印度的品牌連鎖酒店行業預計客房總量將在目前的規模上再增50%。隨著印度民眾收入水平的提高，這一趨勢似乎勢不可擋。
The government harbours aspirations of making India a global aviation hub, with passengers from Europe to East Asia or Africa to north Asia choosing to change planes in Delhi or Mumbai rather than in Singapore or Dubai. For airlines, that will mean offering more than just shiny new airports and good service, but also winning the faith of global passengers that India is a safe place to fly to and through. The crash will cast a cloud over that ambition, at least for a while.
印度政府矢志要將印度打造為全球航空樞紐，力圖讓歐洲飛往東亞或非洲飛往北亞的旅客選擇在德里或孟買中轉，而非新加坡或迪拜。對航空公司而言，實現這一目標不僅需要光鮮的新機場和優質的服務，還需贏得全球旅客的信任，讓人們相信印度是一個安全的飛行目的地和中轉地。而此次空難必將對此宏圖大志蒙上陰影，至少在短期內是如此。
翻譯組：
Shulin，非上上智，無了了心
Leon，男，駐外民工，經濟學人讀者
Mai，男，經濟學博士，世界那麼大，我想活得久一點
審校組：
Vince，語言是前進路上的一道光
Lucian，醫學翻譯，靈魂在傑作中冒險
Clark，願以此功德迴向給眾生，離苦得樂
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感想
本期感想：
Forest，愛樹的人，精神小花園持續耕耘中
這篇文章看罷，開始發現基本沒有什麼感想。整篇文章波瀾不驚，雖然是這麼樣的一件大事情。
但是再看看，也感覺平淡如水的文章裡有些暗戳戳的所指。
比如，其一、印度航空本來就問題多多，塔塔集團在介入之前就是許多許多問題。整合諸多小公司以行擴張之事，大家也都知道這種程序中自然會有許多要磨合的問題，方方面面的，但是好像也沒有看到如何去處理這種磨合。網上查查資料看看，除了這樁出大事兒的，也還有一些未造成最糟糕結局的、已經出現的安全類問題。
其二、文章說這是私有化之後怎樣怎樣的，所以就是說莫迪政府在選擇出售印航之前，如何讓社會相信印航必須交由私人企業主導才是合情合理的呢？是否有賤賣國有資產的可能性呢？以及印度政府以前是傾向於買空客的，後來怎麼變成購買波音呢？波音的飛機這些年問題多多也是人所共知的，似乎這個中間過程就存在很多讓人難免想要嘰嘰歪歪的空間。
所以，說是看上去沒什麼感想，可是就這兩條，問題可太多了。
任何已經出現的事情，本身都不過是冰山一角，從來如此。印航空難也許只是印度經濟政治大小問題的某一個例證而已。
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