In a week that has seen three major air disasters, just days before the busiest weekend for airports over the summer holidays, questions are being raised about the safety of air travel.

一周3起重大空难。还有几天就是最繁忙的暑期航空高峰了，人们不禁开始怀疑坐飞机出行是否安全。

After a Swiftair flight crashed today, killing¹ 119 people on board, a TransAsia Airways² jet fell from the sky yesterday with 47 dead, and the Malaysia Airlines jet that was shot down over Ukraine last week with 298 fatalities³, travellers are asking whether it is safe to fly.

今天，Swiftair公司的客机坠毁，119人死亡。昨天，复兴航空的客机从空中摔下，47人死亡。马航客机在乌克兰被击落，298人死亡。出行的人们会问，坐飞机真的安全吗？

Aviation experts claim 2014 is one of the safest years in air transport history in terms of the number of crashes, however, figures reveal fatalities from air disasters have soared by 300 per cent from last year, including the three major plane crashes in the past week.

航空专家声称，从坠毁的航班数量上看，2014年是空运史上最安全的一年之一。但是，包括上周3起重大空难在内，死亡人数和去年相比暴涨300%。

There have been 763 passengers and crew killed in plane disasters so far this year - 498 higher than the 265 people that died in 2013.

到目前为止，今年共有763名乘客及机组人员在空难中丧生，比去年的265人增加了498人。

It also makes July the fifth worst month in aviation history in terms of aviation disaster fatalities.

从空难死亡人数上看，7月已经成为航空史上第五危险的月份。

However, air travel experts are urging holidaymakers that it is still safe to fly.

尽管如此，航空专家告诉外出度假的人们，坐飞机还是安全的。

Harro Ranter, president of the Aviation Safety Network, described 2014 as ‘among the safest years in modern aviation history – since 1946’.

航空安全网总裁Harro Ranter指出，2014年是“航空史上自1946年以来最安全的年份之一”。

He added the number of fatal plane accidents this year – including today’s Algerian jet – is 12 – five below the ten-year average to July 24.

今年的重大空难共有12次，包括今天的阿航事件。要比过去10年（计算到每年的7月24日为止）的平均数少了5次。

‘The recent accidents do not suggest that there is a specific common underlying⁴ safety issue.’

“近期的空难事故并不代表航空安全有什么隐患。”

However, figures by the network, which tracks crashes and fatalities worldwide, reveal the number of people killed in air travel disasters has increased significantly already this year, due to the two Malaysia Airlines disasters.

尽管如此，记录全球空难和伤亡记录的航空安全网显示，今年死于空难的人数显著增长，原因是两次马航事故。

Ranter said: ‘It has been an exceptional year because of these two high-profile accidents, which really mark the safety profile of this year.’

Ranter说：“这两起特别引人注目的事故让今年成为异常的一年。它们严重影响了今年的安全记录。”

‘[The number of fatal crashes is] quite significantly below the 10-year average, although the number of fatalities is markedly higher because of these two high-profile accidents.’

“（致命的坠机事故数）比过去10年的平均值要少的多。但因为这两起事故，死亡人数却非常高。”

According to International Air Transport Association, which represents 240 of the world’s airlines, more than three billion people flew safely on 36.4 million flights last year.

据国际航空运输协会消息，去年有超过30亿人次旅客和3640万航班安全抵达目的地。该协会拥有全球240家航空公司会员。