The meeting, which is not a negotiating session, is due to last several hours.

Correspondents say ground staff and cabin crews have become increasingly worried that the state-controlled airline is being held hostage to the pilots' wage demands.

'Pilots playing with people's futures'

One union official said 3,000 pilots were playing with the future of 45,000 employees.

Ground staff and cabin crews have also expressed concern they have been left out of salary talks between Air France and the pilots.

One of the unions representing ground personnel, warned on Friday of a "spread of the conflict" unless Air France included other airline workers in the talks.

The strike is now in its seventh day

Most of the company's flights have been cancelled for a seventh consecutive day, and no new talks have been planned between pilots' unions and management.

The pilots have been striking against pay cuts planned by Air France as part of privatisation.

As a result, domestic and international flights have been seriously disrupted. It is also costing Air France $16m a day in lost revenues.

On Saturday, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said he respected the independence of Air France management and would not let the government intervene in the conflict.

The strike, which is scheduled to go on for at least 15 days, looks set to affect the football World Cup which begins in France on Wednesday.

The airline's pilots have said that it could be extended for the duration of the tournament.