Officials says the job cuts will not compromise safety
But unions have condemned the move, saying security could be compromised at a sensitive time for the air industry.
An airport spokesman said between 100 and 140 permanent employees would be made redundant.
Airport managers say the moves will increase efficiency.
But union leaders argue that safety and security at the airport could be compromised.
They are also protesting that the company is planning to take on some new staff at lower pay rates.
Transport and General Workers Union regional secretary David McCall said the job cuts would undermine the morale and efficiency of the workforce.
"You could argue you should be increasing staff, not reducing them," Mr McCall said, referring to the mood following the 11 September terror attacks.
But the airport's customer services director David Teale insisted safety would not be affected.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are not going to reduce security standards in any way.
Roster revisions
"What we are talking about is the best and most efficient use of resources.
"There will certainly be job losses in permanent staff - between 100 and 140 - and we won't be recruiting temporary staff. In full-time equivalent, that would be around 200 jobs."
The job cuts would allow the company to change shift rosters which currently mean extremely wasteful working practices, he said.
No longer would large numbers of security staff be on duty at times when there was nothing for them to do, such as in the middle of the night.
He insisted that pay rates for new staff, while lower than the best current pay rate, would be better than those offered by other security companies working at the airport.
Strike vote
The job cuts are a bid to reduce the airport's annual £17m security budget.
An airport spokesman said: "We will continue to meet all the stringent standards demanded by the government."
Workers at the airport, including firemen, engineers and security guards, have already started to vote over whether to take strike action over proposed job cuts at the airport.
Ballot results will be announced on 21 December.
Manchester is the UK's second largest airport owner after buying East Midlands and Bournemouth International operations for £241m in early 2001.
The airport, the UK's third busiest, also bought a controlling interest in Humberside Airport in 1999.