Air France expects to cancel nearly half its "long haul" flights Tuesday because of a strike, the airline said in a news release, and more than a quarter of the carrier's remaining scheduled flights are expected not to get off the ground.

Air transport workers in France began striking Monday and plan to continue the industrial action through Thursday.

Air France is offering to inform affected passengers of flight delays via text message, e-mail and telephone but "advises all its passengers to postpone their trips until after 10 February."

The air carrier warns that exact predictions of flight cancellations are not possible due to the nature of the strike. "As some strikers are joining this industrial action without prior notice, we are obliged to adapt some flight schedules, mainly long-haul, at the last minute," Air France warned on its U.S. website Monday.

The airline plans to issue on Tuesday its flight forecast for Wednesday.