The latest round of talks was adjourned as the sides failed to agree on proposals by the airline to compensate planned salary cuts with shares in the company.

The talks continue later on Friday.

The strike has caused severe disruption to domestic and international flights.

On Wednesday, the airline said it had made new proposals on the disputed issues, notably pay cuts.

But the leader of the main pilots' union warned that there was still a long way to go to resolve the dispute.

The BBC correspondent in Paris says both sides in the dispute - unions and management - are under enormous pressure to end a dispute that could be catastrophic for the airline, the smooth running of the World Cup, and the international image of France.

Row over pay-cuts

Air France management is in no doubt that the strike by 3,200 pilots has been timed to coincide with the tournament in order to exert maximum pressure. Some French politicians have accused the pilots of blackmail.

The pilots are refusing the proposals of the management to accept pay cuts in return for shares in the airline when it is privatised.

But the airline has dropped plans for a lower pay scale for new recruits, which would have cut the overall cost of pilot salaries by about $83m a year.

The Air France management claims that French pilots are paid 40% more than their German counterparts and 19% more than British Airways pilots.