Air France is to go ahead with planned job cuts although less than originally planned following large-scale protests by some workers.
The airline said around 1,000 jobs will now be lost, down from the 2,900 announced last week.
Chief executive Alexandre de Juniac told French media the remaining job cuts could still be avoided if union talks go well over the next couple of months.
Air France is undergoing a restructure which will result in job cuts, pay reduction for some employees and capacity cut on long-haul routes. The news resulted in angry protests from some workers who attacked two of the airline’s executives earlier this month.
"The 'Plan B' takes place over two years, 2016 and 2017. For 2016 it is under way," said de Juniac. "If negotiations are successful by the start of 2016, we can avoid implementing 'Plan B' for 2017."
Air France will discuss the 2016 cuts with union officials at a meeting of its works council on Thursday.
Last week, de Juniac told the ACTE conference in Paris that the images of assistant HR director Xavier Broseta having his shirt ripped from his back and being escorted over a fence were “catastrophic” for its image.