Young girl found hidden in bag on board Air France plane

French authorities have opened an investigation after a baby was found hidden in a bag belonging to a passenger on board an Air France plane.

There have been conflicting reports regarding the child's age, some agencies reporting she may be just one.

According to a source, at Charles de Gaulle Airport, the woman is a resident of France and is currently in the process of adopting the child from Haiti, AFP reports. “She was apparently in the transit zone in Istanbul, and had crossed the customs checkpoint with the child, when she was prevented from boarding a flight with her,” the source said.

The source added, the woman "“decided to hide the child in a bag to get aboard another flight, after buying a new ticket" amd then" placed the child at her feet, under a blanket", once on board.

Other passengers, noticed the baby, when the woman got out of her seat to go to the bathroom.

The French company says in a statement that the child, who traveled with "an adult" on Air France Flight 1891 from Istanbul to Paris on Monday, did not have a valid ticket. Air France says it requested "the presence of French authorities on the flight's arrival" to deal with the matter.

(With Agency Inputs)