Dutch arm of Air France-KLM to shed jobs

Amsterdam - The Dutch arm of Air France-KLM plans to cut its workforce by 7 500 jobs, or 25%, largely through outsourcing, a Dutch daily newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The measure is expected to be announced at the release of quarterly earnings by the French-Dutch carrier on Wednesday, the Algemeen Dagblad said, citing the head of the trade union for airline personnel in the Netherlands, De Unie.

A company official could not immediately be reached for comment.

KLM hopes the measure will help it to cut €4.4bn ($5.6bn) in outstanding debt by reducing costs, the report said.

Air France-KLM's plans to grow its budget brand across Europe angered pilots at the French arm of the business, who went on strike for two weeks in September, costing the company some €500m.

The airline is expected to post a 6% decline in revenue and 15% higher net profit of €166m for the third quarter, according to analysts polled for Reuters.