Air France will go ahead as planned and cut almost 1,000 jobs in 2016 under the first part of a restructuring plan that triggered violent protests, the chief executive of Air France-KLM said on Sunday.
The remaining cuts planned for 2017 can still be avoided if negotiations with unions are successful before the start of next year, Alexandre de Juniac said in a joint interview with RTL radio, LCI television and the Le Figaro daily. The struggling airline's restructuring plan -- unveiled on October 5 after pilots rejected a proposal to work longer hours -- made headlines around the world earlier when executives were manhandled by furious workers. Human resources manager Xavier Broseta had his shirt ripped off as he clambered over barriers to escape, helped by security <g data-gr-id="11">guards,</g> while another executive had his shirt and jacket torn in the scrum. Air France plans to cut 2,900 jobs over 2016 and 2017, and De Juniac said that next year's portion of the restructuring plan was already under way.