Franco-Dutch airline Air France is threatening to cut its long haul flights by 2017 if pilots refuse to accept cost cutting reforms.
The company is putting pressure on its staff to agree to a new restructuring plan or face flight cuts or forced layoffs. Air France management have suggested a 10 percent cut in long-haul flights unless the company and union reach a deal soon. The measure would affect some 800 workers this year alone. Labor leaders say the company seeks to reach an agreement that would see part of the pilots’ compensation cut by the end of September or it will go ahead with its own reform plans to save some two billion dollars. This is the second time the airliner cuts its staff as low-cost carriers are becoming more popular. Between 2012 and 2014 Air France slashed 9 percent of its workforce which led to more than 6,400 voluntary departures.