The airline also warned of "major traffic disruption" and last-minute cancellations on its short-haul operations at Paris Orly and other French airports.

Two thirds of short-haul Orly flights and 40 percent of flights to and from other French airports operated by its HOP! Air France unit will be canceled, it said in a statement.

It said almost all long-haul flights would be unaffected.

France's civil aviation authority said controllers had notified it of plans to strike on both Wednesday and Thursday.

The SANCTA controllers' union said in a blog posting that it was protesting about "imprecise" offers from state employers regarding work conditions and retirement plans.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Jane Merriman)