Air France chief executive and chairman Frederic Gagey will be replaced before the end of the year in a bid to improve relations between the airline and powerful trade unions.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Gagey will be moved to the post of finance director at parent company Air France-KLM, as the airline splits the role of chairman and CEO.
Air France will appoint Jean-Marc Janaillac as chairman in addition to his current role as CEO and chairman of Air France-KLM, with a new CEO appointed at a later date.
Last year Gagey had to flee a meeting around mass job cuts after staff staged angry protests, which saw HR director Xavier Broseta having his shirt ripped off as he battled through the crowd.
Ongoing talks between the airline and unions have led to strikes, which centre around plans to expand the group’s low-cost subsidiary Transavia.
The airline has struggled to compete with European low cost carriers such as Easyjet and Ryanair and is also facing the threat of Middle East airlines on its long-haul business.