Air France plans to cut 7,500 jobs within two years due to fallout from health crisis on the industry

FRENCH Airline Air France is to approach trade unions with a plan to cut more than 7,500 positions over the next two years, as the company grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus crisis.

The country’s biggest airline is cutting its capacity and removing domestic routes as the crisis has taken a huge toll on international travel.

The cuts would include 6,500 employees at Air France and 1,000 jobs at its subsidiary HOP! However, around 3,500 of the job cuts would come from retirements and not replacing leavers.

Now stuck with €10.4 billion in the French government’s bailout debt which was given to cope with the pandemic Air France-KLM must move forward with their restructuring to stay independent and in the game.

Rivals, such as British Airways, have also announced job cuts, planning to axe 12,000 employees and easyJet have announced that 4,500 will go.

Lufthansa will lose the equivalent of 22,000 full-time positions.

It has been reported that ground staff would bear the brunt of job cuts.