"One of our key messages to governments will be that aviation should be treated like any other business.
"We don't want a handout, but we also don't want to be singled out for special fees and taxes, and commercial regulations that chill market creativity and initiative," IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said in Cape Town.
His statement came just ahead of the International Air Transport Association's three-day annual meeting and World Air Transport Summit which began in Cape Town on Monday.
IATA has a membership of over 240 airlines across the world, that amounts to little less than 90 per cent of global air traffic.
The conference, being attended by some 700 aviation leaders including chiefs of airlines and aircraft-makers, is discussing issues like aviation safety, environment, distribution and financial sustainability among others.
Among the attendees are Air India CMD Rohit Nandan and Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal, who is also a member of the IATA Board of Governors.
Inaugurating the conference, Tyler said, "razor thin margins are characteristic for the airline industry.
“But achieving profits with the continued weakness in the global economy is a major achievement.
"And if you add the impact of oil prices at over $100/barrel (Brent), the achievement grows. Remember that fuel accounts for about a third of industry costs."
Referring to government policies towards aviation in Africa and elsewhere, he said the authorities tend to see aviation as ‘an elite product, rather than as a critical component of the continent’s economic infrastructure.
As a result, it is heavily taxed -- often in violation of International Civil Aviation Organization principles that prohibit the taxation of jet fuel for international operations.
"Moreover, despite high infrastructure charges, the failure to invest in fuel supply infrastructure has resulted in frequent supply disruptions that cripple the operations."
In issues which have strong relevance to Indian aviation as well, the IATA chief criticised ‘direct taxes on tickets’ in Africa, saying that taxes of various kinds including those on tourism, VAT, sales taxes and infrastructure levies ‘all
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