Paris, October 19 (RHC)-- Air France has announced that it will go ahead to cut hundreds of jobs as planned next year, as part of the company's restructuring plan that has triggered violent protests.

The chief executive of Air France-KLM was quoted by AFP as saying on Sunday that the remaining cuts are planned for 2017, but they can be avoided if negotiations with unions are successful before the start of next year.

Alexandre de Juniac made the remarks in a joint interview with RTL radio, LCI television and the Le Figaro daily. The airline's restructuring plan, which was unveiled on October 5 after pilots rejected a proposal to work longer hours, hit the headlines around the world when the company's executives were manhandled by furious workers.

Human resources manager, Xavier Broseta, had his shirt ripped off as he clambered over barriers to escape, helped by security guards, while another executive had his shirt and jacket torn in the scuffle.

Air France has declared plans to slash 2,900 jobs in 2016 and 2017. During Sunday interview, De Juniac said next year's portion of the restructuring plan is already underway.

The official did not explain about the exact number of job cuts next year, saying they would represent "less than a third of the total" of the planned 2,900 layoffs.