Air France A330 Grounded

An Air France A330-200 (MSN 519 | F-GZCL) operating as flight AF547 from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to Paris CDG via Niamey, Niger, has been grounded in the Nigerien capital since Thursday after a dead body, believed to have fallen from the aircraft as it approached Diori Hamani International Airport's runway 09R/27L, was discovered in one of the city's arrondissements.

According to the Agence de Presse Africaine (APA) newswire, corresponding blood stains have also been discovered on the aircraft's port side wing.

"We have identified a body (...) in all likelihood it had to have fallen or was dumped from the Air France aircraft (...) there are blood stains on the left wing of the aircraft," said the Nigerien Minister of State for the Interior, Mr Abdou Labo Minister, during a press conference.

"A forensic examination of [tissue] samples, DNA testing will be done and compared with the bloodstains found on the plane. We do not know if it is a passenger or a stowaway," said Minister Labo.

Air France, in a statement quoted by AirJournal, has confirmed the incident and the grounding stating:

"According to preliminary information we have, it appears to be a stowaway who had hidden away onboard the plane. He would have fallen from the forward landing gear bay on July 24."

The Nigerien authorities are currently investigating the incident.