Air France managers fled a meeting on Monday about mass job cuts after angry staff waving banners and flags stormed the room, according to journalists present at the scene.
Television images also showed the airline’s human resources and labour relations chief Xavier Broseta being jostled, his shirt ripped off and his tie hanging from his neck, battling his way through crowds of workers as he sought to escape.
Air France had informed workers that it plans to cut 2,900 jobs and cancel Boeing 787 jetliners to deliver savings blocked by pilots, including the first forced dismissals since the 1990s. Air France-KLM has 19 787-9 and six 787-10 jets on order, it told a meeting with its works council on Monday, a representative of the Unac cabin-crew union said. The briefing was interrupted for a period when protesters stormed the room.
The Air France fleet would be reduced by 14 aircraft, Unac said, with the cancellation of 787 Dreamliners and phasing out of Airbus A340s, and weaker routes would shut. The unit of Air France-KLM indicated there is scope for compromise if unions propose serious savings measures.
Air France said last week it was planning cuts to jobs, jets and routes after failing to reach a deal with pilots, who had been asked to work more hours for the same pay to help end annual losses that began in 2011. Government ministers had urged the sides to continue talking so that jobs could be saved.
The changes would require a shrinking of Air France’s network, with a reduction in frequencies and more sweeping seasonal capacity cuts next year, following by the termination of some routes in 2017, especially to Asia, where competition is toughest. Frequencies to 22 destinations would be affected.
Job cuts could not be implemented before mid-December at the earliest, given French legal requirements, leaving about two months for the two sides to agree an alternative way forward, should negotiations resume.
The chief executive Alexandre de Juniac forced the showdown with pilots after last year being defeated in plans to establish a low-cost airline outside France when crews walked out for two weeks, costing the airline €500 million ($564 million) and prompting the government to intervene.
Air France has never recently fired workers outright, relying on attrition and early retirement packages to reduce the payroll by 9,000 over three years. The last time it sought to dismiss staff, in 1993, weeks of walkouts cost the job of CEO Bernard Attali. Mr Broseta and the Air France chief executive Frederic Gagey had on Monday been detailing a “Plan B” to cut costs.
Mr Gagey had already left the room before the works council meeting near Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris was interrupted after about an hour.
Air France-KLM said shortly afterwards that it planned to take legal action over “aggravated violence” carried out against its managers.
“This violence was carried out by particularly violent, isolated individuals, whereas the protest by striking personnel was taking place calmly up until then,” an Air France-KLM spokesman said.
Air France confirmed in the meeting that it planned to cut 1,700 ground staff, 900 cabin crew and 300 pilots, the sources said. The long-haul business would be reduced by 10 per cent.
Europe’s second-largest network carrier is seeking to cope with pressure from low-cost competition in Europe and Middle East long-haul carriers, and is at loggerheads with its main pilots union, the SNPL, over its plans.
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
