"We have been silent in our success, and now we have a reputation crisis. That makes us an easy target for politicians who think green and see cash," Bisignani told industry executives at IATA's annual meeting in Vancouver.

Airlines have cut noise pollution by 75 percent over the past 30 years and improved fuel efficiency by 70 percent in the past four decades, with new aircraft expected to improve that efficiency by another 25 percent by 2020, he said.

A draft United Nations report in April cited the transport sector as a black spot in the fight against global warming, saying that surging use of cars and planes will push up greenhouse gas emissions in coming decades.

The report said planes damaged the climate in other ways, partly by emitting heat-trapping nitrous oxides at high altitudes, and suggested extra charges for fuel or the inclusion of aviation in a greenhouse gas trading system.

Bisignani accused governments of being "irresponsible and inconsistent" on environmental policy, and charged Europe was rushing to include the industry in carbon trading with no reliable way to measure the impact of carbon offsets.

Bisignani said that while governments were targeting the airlines, they were ignoring the need to improve and unify air traffic control systems in regions such as Europe, which would reduce the time aircraft spend in flight.

"A single European sky could save up to 12 million tonnes of CO2, but instead of action we have a European circus. Fifteen years of talks, talks and nothing but talks," Bisignani told the meeting.

Any carbon trading system that includes aviation should be global, open with other industries and not distort competition, he said.

But Bisignani said the industry had to recognize the public's demand for more action by airlines on the environment and called on aircraft producers to build a zero-emissions aircraft within 50 years.