With Covid-19 now putting the world’s largest and most fragile communities in harm’s way, rich Chinese have been pulling out their wallets to bring children studying abroad home. In one case, the world’s only private Boeing 787 Dreamliner was charted to fly with 40 passengers from London to Shanghai.
随着Covid-19现在使世界上最大、最脆弱的社区受到伤害，富有的中国人一直在掏出钱包把在国外留学的孩子接回家。在一个案例中，世界上唯一一架私人波音 787 梦想客机按计划载有 40 名乘客从伦敦飞往上海。
Most airlines may be on the brink of bankruptcy (many already are) but business in the private jet sector is booming. A spike in inquires and flights began about a month ago, as the big boys of aviation stopped flying and the coronavirus took hold.
大多数航空公司可能正处于破产边缘（许多已经处于破产边缘），但私人飞机行业的业务正在蓬勃发展。大约一个月前，随着航空巨头停止飞行以及冠状病毒的流行，询问和航班数量开始激增。
Christine is a marketing manager at a private jet firm in Beijing. Not authorised to speak with media, she gave only her first name in a story published by ECNS.
克里斯汀是北京一家私人飞机公司的营销经理。由于没有被授权与媒体交谈，她在 ECNS 发表的一篇报道中只透露了自己的名字。
“We have surging inquiries for international flights, mostly parents of students studying in Europe, especially London and the US”, she said.
她说：“我们对国际航班的询问激增，其中大部分是在欧洲留学的学生的家长，尤其是伦敦和美国。”
“The parents watch the news about the US situation. They fear their children would contract the disease or be discriminated against in the US.”
“家长们关注美国局势的新闻。他们担心自己的孩子会感染这种疾病，或者在美国受到歧视。”
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Life, of course, comes before money. For those who have it, private jets, such as the 14-seat Bombardier Challenger 850, go for an hourly rate of about US$10,000.
当然，生命先于金钱。对于拥有私人飞机的人来说，例如 14 座的庞巴迪挑战者 850，每小时的费用约为 10,000 美元。
The price tag did not put off the parents of two Chinese students studying at university in San Francisco. An aviation consultant helped to source a private jet to bring the pair home for US$250,000.
价格标签并没有让两名在旧金山大学就读的中国学生的父母望而却步。一位航空顾问花费 25 万美元帮助采购了一架私人飞机将两人带回家。
This isn’t just another story about Chinese conspicuous consumption; tickets on commercial airlines have become gold dust. The government’s restrictions on the continuation of air links with other countries are for only one weekly flight to one destination in any one country.
这不仅仅是又一个关于中国人炫耀性消费的故事；商业航空公司的机票已成为金粉。政府对继续与其他国家/地区的航空联系的限制是每周仅限一趟飞往任何一个国家的一个目的地的航班。
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Demand is through the roof; supply is almost zero. As a result, a ticket between the US and China that used to cost US$600 now goes for more than US$2,000. The private jets are looking increasingly competitive.
需求激增；供应量几乎为零。结果，过去600美元的中美机票现在售价超过2000美元。私人飞机的竞争力似乎越来越强。
So it was that last month, the world’s only private Boeing 787 “Dreamliner”, flew from London to Shanghai, via Geneva, bringing home 40 passengers. Each had shelled out ¥180,000 for the flight that took place on 18 March.
就在上个月，全球唯一一架私人波音787“梦想客机”从伦敦经日内瓦飞往上海，带回了40名乘客。每人为 3 月 18 日的航班支付了 18 万日元。
Operator of the “luxury evacuation”, Deer Jet is the private jet division of Beijing Capital Airlines. According to the Deer Jet website, their 787 Dreamliner and its crew present “7-star hospitality standards to deliver best-in-class inflight butler services”.
金鹿公务航空是北京首都航空旗下的私人飞机部门，是“豪华撤侨”的运营商。据金鹿公务网站介绍，其 787 梦想飞机及其机组人员呈现“七星级的接待标准，提供一流的机上管家服务”。
The US$200-million aircraft features first-class style, fulling-reclining seating, a spacious lounge with sofas and dining for 16 persons, plus a master bathroom and bedroom for two.
这架价值 2 亿美元的飞机拥有头等舱风格的全平躺式座椅、带沙发的宽敞休息室和可容纳 16 人的餐厅，以及一间主浴室和两人卧室。
Not surprisingly, all 40 seats were sold out quickly, reported Beijing News.
据新京报报道，毫不奇怪，40个座位很快就被抢购一空。
The private jet boom for flights to China is certain to not last long. Tougher restrictions are expected that may also curtail private jet operations. In the meantime, the mantra for private jet firms everywhere remains make hay while the sun shines.
飞往中国的私人飞机热潮肯定不会持续太久。预计更严格的限制也可能会限制私人飞机的运营。与此同时，世界各地的私人飞机公司的口号仍然是趁阳光照耀。
