PARIS, July 31 (UPI) -- The head of a trade union in France said Air France had plans to cut as many as 3,000 jobs, although the airline did not confirm the figure.
"We've been hearing that 2,500 to 3,000 jobs will be cut," said Didier Fauverte, the head of the CGT trade union.
Fauverte said the airline is expecting to cut costs to be able to position itself to compete better with discount carriers while Europe remains mired in a prolonged recession.
"Altogether, 10,000 jobs will have been lost over the past four years," Fauverte said.
The Local.fr reported Wednesday the airline reported a loss of $215 million in the second quarter of the year.
The airline has begun its own discount service called Hop!, which began in March and currently has a fleet of 98 aircraft. It serves 136 destinations in Europe.
