Dutch airline KLM and the airline unions reached agreement on a new pay and conditions deal for ground personnel on Thursday evening.

Negotiations with flight personnel are still taking place.

According to the CNV union, there is agreement that there will be no compulsory redundancies until 2020. The airline had said it wanted a reduction in jobs of between 500 and 1,000 over the next five years.

In return, there will be a severence scheme for anyone opting for voluntary redundancy.

The unions have also agreed to forego a structural wage increase and that extra days off for older workers will be offered 10 years before their pension date rather than when they reach 50 years of age as is currently the case.

The agreement will not become final until cockpit and cabin personnel have concluded their negotiations with KLM, the CNV said.