Human remains found on Saudi plane tyre

"A man who has not yet been identified somehow managed to grab hold of a wheel of the jet in Beirut without the control tower noticing before takeoff," the official said.

Nas Air Flight XY 720 took off from Beirut airport late Friday and landed Saturday morning in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where the remains were found during maintenance operations, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Meanwhile, passengers on the plane reported seeing a man in a baseball cap with a backpack make a dash for plane as it prepared to taxi. He stumbled once and then continued towards the plane.

The passengers and flight attendants informed the pilot, but he did not take any action and continued takeoff without informing the Beirut control tower that anything was amiss.

A Nas Air official in Riyadh said they were waiting for an official report on the incident from the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (SGACA) before commenting or providing any details.