Warren Buffett’s famous critique of airlines — that they make poor investments and are little more than “bottomless pits” in which to throw money — has never seemed more apposite. Carriers are facing one of their greatest challenges as the rapidly spreading coronavirus has caused a slump in passenger demand. The International Air Transport Association estimates airlines could lose a stunning $113bn in revenue this year alone if the virus continues to spread. That is about four times the previous estimate published last month.
沃伦•巴菲特(Warren Buffett)有一句对航空公司的著名批评——航空公司不是好的投资对象，投资它们等于往“无底洞”里扔钱，这句话从未像现在看来这般贴切。随着新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情快速蔓延导致乘客需求下降，航空公司正面临着最大的挑战之一。国际航空运输协会(IATA)估计，若疫情继续蔓延，仅今年一年航空公司就可能蒙受1130亿美元的收入损失。这个惊人的数字大约是上个月公布的估计数字的四倍。
Big US carriers have announced sharp cuts to capacity. Across Europe there are fears that passenger numbers could plunge by as much as 24 per cent this year. Lufthansa on Friday said it would slash capacity by half in coming weeks. Investors have voted with their feet, sending airline shares down nearly 25 per cent since the outbreak began — some 21 percentage points greater than the decline at a similar point during the 2003 Sars crisis.
美国大型航空公司宣布将大幅削减运力。欧洲各地普遍担心，今年旅客人次的降幅可能高达24%。汉莎航空(Lufthansa)上周五表示，将在未来几周内将运力减半。投资者用脚投票，导致疫情爆发以来航空公司股价下跌近25%，比2003年非典危机期间类似时点的跌幅还高出约21个百分点。