The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has stressed the importance of cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ensure that air transport continues to improve safety and environmental performance, and achieves financial sustainability.

IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said: "As the global recession continues to take its toll on the aviation industry, we also face challenges on many of the industry’s fundamental priorities-including safety and environment."

"The need for industry and government cooperation to address these has never been greater,” said Bisignani in remarks to a gathering of ICAO state representatives and Raymond Benjamin, ICAO’s Secretary General.

Bisignani has underscored the importance of environment as a priority for the two global organizations. “Aviation needs a global sectoral approach to address aviation’s emissions under ICAO leadership. This was the vision of Kyoto. And it must be retained when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets in Copenhagen this December,” said Bisignani.