The Orly airport in Paris has been evacuated following a shooting on 18 March. According to BFM TV, an unidentified man was shot and killed while trying to grab a gun from a French soldier on duty.

The National Police confirmed on their official Twitter page that a "police operation" was underway and urged the public to avoid the airport area. "Intervention in the ongoing RAID. Deminers (bomb squad) on the spot. Respect the security perimeter, follow the instructions," they warned in a post.

Other people at the airport tweeted that passengers on planes that had just landed were being asked to stay in their seats and not disembark. The UK government has already issued a travel advisory asking visitors to "exercise caution, avoid the affected area and follow the advice of the local authorities".

The soldier involved in the incident at Paris' second largest airport was part of Operation Sentinelle, which was started following the Charlie Hebdo terror attack. The operation allows deployment of armed military on the streets across France.

The attack follows an incident in February when a 29-year-old Egyptian attacked soldiers at the Louvre museum with a machete. He was shot during the altercation. Abdallah El-Hamahmy told authorities that he wanted to destroy the artworks but said he was working on his own and not following any instructions from the Islamic State.

Orly airport, Paris
Emergency vehicles arrive Orly airport southern terminal in Paris, France March 18, 2016 REUTERS/Christian Hartmann