Airline to cut 16,000 jobs

Japan Airlines (JAL) is to slash its workforce by a third as part of a corporate restructuring programme.

The ailing airline, which filed for bankruptcy in January, presented its plans for a restructure to the Tokyo District Court this morning.

The proposal includes the loss of more than 16,000 jobs, the scrapping of unprofitable domestic and international routes, and the reduction of its fleet by 103 aircraft.

A JAL Group statement said: "By fully implementing these measures, the JAL Group will aim to become profitable from the first fiscal year of the plan and thus rehabilitate quickly."

JAL, a member of the British Airways and American Airlines-led Oneworld alliance, was subject to a flurry of takeover proposals earlier this year before the Japanese government agreed a bail out package subject to a restructuring programme.