A man has been shot dead after trying to seize the weapon of a soldier guarding Paris' Orly Airport, police say.

A national police official said the incident occurred on Saturday morning at Orly and the soldier was part of the Sentinel special force installed around France to protect sensitive sites after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks.

No information about the slain man or any other injuries was available.

Police evacuated part of the airport and warned visitors in a tweet to avoid the airport while the police operation was underway.

The shooting came after a similar incident last month at the Louvre Museum. France remains under a state of emergency.