Aim is 50% cut by 2050
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has backed the approach of this week's G8 to cutting global carbon emissions.
The summit, held this week in L'Aquila, Italy, said it supported the aim of cutting C02 emissions by "at least 50%" by 2050 compared to2005 levels.
This is the same level which IATA's airline members agreed to pursue at their annual meeting Kuala Lumpur in June.
IATA also said it backed the G8 support for a "sectoral approach" to reducing aviations emission.
The G8, comprising the US, the UK, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, the EU and Canada, said that it wanted a coordinated approach by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to emissions reduction.
It also said governments should "more proactively engage the private sector" with partnerships between government and business.
Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and ceo, said: "The G8 Summit declaration is absolutely aligned with the aggressive targets that aviation has set.
"Commercial aviation is the first global industry to commit to a carbon-neutral growth target by 2020. We have a solid track record of meeting our targets."
He added: "Effectively addressing climate change is a top priority for the aviation sector.
"Aviation is a global industry and its emissions should be accounted for at the global level as a sector, not by state.
"In line with the Summit Declaration's call for business and government cooperation, IATA looks forward to working with governments in the ICAO and the UNFCCC processes to help develop details of global sectoral approach for aviation and climate change."
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