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Japan Airlines has proposed pay reductions to its unions as part of its rehabilitation, the Nikkei business daily reported.

The plan includes a 30 percent cut in the average salary of pilots from fiscal 2009 levels, bringing their annual pay to about JPY¥12 million (USD$137,000), the paper said.

The proposed salary is about JPY¥7.8 million less than pilots at rival carrier All Nippon Airways received last fiscal year, the paper said.

However, the offer, which excludes foreign contract pilots, is higher than the JPY¥8.03 million salary for pilots at newcomer carrier Skymark Airlines, the Nikkei said.

The airline aims to show its main lenders that it is willing to cut pay in addition to shedding 16,000 jobs, or a third of its group-wide workforce, the paper said.

JAL has also called for a 25 percent cut in pay to about JPY¥4.2 million for flight attendants, and a 20 percent cut in the ground crew's pay to roughly JPY¥5 million, the paper said.

The airline's unions have indicated that they have no choice but to accept the pay proposals if they are necessary for the firm to get back on its feet, Nikkei said.