Air France has said it will be forced to scrap more than half of its scheduled flights on Monday as a week-long pilots' strike begins over the French flag carrier’s plans to develop its low-cost subsidiary.

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"We expect to be able to run 48 percent of our flights" with roughly 60 percent of pilots downing tools, Air France's director of operations Catherine Jude said on Sunday.

Only 40 percent of flights are guaranteed to run on Tuesday, the airline said in a later statement.

"If the strike continues beyond September 15 (Monday), the flight schedule will be modified as a result," Air France said. "The knock-on effects will be communicated to passengers the day before they are due to leave."

Air France urged "customers who have booked a flight between September 15 and 22 to delay their trip, change their ticket free of charge or claim a refund".

Pilots’ union SNLP has called for the week-long strike, which would be the longest at the company since 1998, over Air France’s plans to significantly expand its low-cost offerings to passengers through its Transavia budget airline.

Unions are unhappy in particular over contracts being offered to new Transavia pilots, which they say should come with the same pay and benefits as those afforded to Air France pilots, something the company has ruled out.

"This is about a point of principle. We're not even talking about a rise in wages," said SNPL head Jean-Louis Barber.

Air France has said negotiations with unions will continue "until this evening" in a last-ditch bid to avoid the strike, which it has estimated could result in losses of 10 to 15 million euros a day.

Seeking to take advantage of its rival's woes, low-cost airline easyJet on Saturday laid on 1,000 extra seats on flights from Paris to the southern cities of Toulouse and Nice.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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