VOA标准英语2011-Indian Aviation Recovers After Global Eco

The Indian aviation industry is rebounding¹ from the financial difficulties it faced during global economic downturn. The country's domestic carriers are expected to buy hundreds of planes in the coming years to cope with the growth in air travel.

As air passenger traffic dropped by 30 per cent in 2009, many Indian domestic carriers put expansion plans on hold and slashed² staff salaries. Cash-strapped airlines even asked for a government bailout.

But in the past year, the aviation industry has recovered from the crisis triggered by the global financial downturn. As the economy returns to a high growth path, flights are again filling with passengers, and domestic carriers are posting profits.

The first concrete signal that the industry is back on its feet came in early January, when private carrier IndiGo³ placed a $15 billion order for 180 aircraft with Airbus. It is the largest single order of Airbus planes and is expected to be delivered between 2016 and 2025.

Besides IndiGo, other airlines also plan to buy new planes to cope with growing demand.

Aviation experts say the orders are an indication of the potential growth of the industry.

Sanat Kaul is chairman of the International Foundation for Aviation and Development in India and a former top official in the aviation ministry⁴. He says if fares remain competitive, low-cost airlines will entice⁵ millions of rail passengers to switch to air travel.

"There are all the signs that there will be very high growth in passenger traffic," Kaul said. "Slowly, slowly as people get addicted⁶ to flying, they will slowly and slowly not take railways for long journeys."

It is estimated that over the next 20 years India will buy 1,150 commercial jets valued at $130 billion to cater⁷ to the growing demand in the country. By that time, about 180 million passengers are expected to fly annually⁸.

Kaul says the industry could expand hugely if airlines begin operations to smaller, so-called Tier 3 towns.

"Our growth is metro-based growth...regional growth is yet to come," he added. "Regional growth is essentially⁹ when Tier 3 towns start using aircrafts and airlines start going there."

About a dozen domestic carriers began operations in India about a decade ago to take advantage of a booming economy, which created a huge middle class in India. Until then, India's aviation sector¹⁰ was dominated by state-owned airlines.

1 rebounding   

蹦跳运动

参考例句：

• The strength of negative temperature concrete is tested with supersonic-rebounding method. 本文将超声回弹综合法用于负温混凝土强度检测。
• The fundamental of basketball includes shooting, passing and catching, rebounding, etc. 篮球运动中最基本的东西包括投篮，传接球，篮板球等。

2 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 indigo   

n.靛青，靛蓝

参考例句：

• The sky was indigo blue,and a great many stars were shining.天空一片深蓝，闪烁着点点繁星。
• He slipped into an indigo tank.他滑落到蓝靛桶中。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

6 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

7 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

8 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。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。