Japan Airlines Corp. may ax about 5,000 employees, or around 10 percent of its group workforce, by March 2012 through attrition and other steps, including encouraging early retirement, industry sources said.

The move would help the airline, which has been restructuring under government supervision, to reduce costs by more than ¥150 billion.

JAL has included the plan in its management improvement program the carrier hopes to compile and make public by the end of September in response to a request from the transport ministry to draw up a drastic restructuring program, the sources said.