KEY POINTS:
A third body has been found in the sea at the scene of the Air New Zealand Airbus crash in France.
Divers have also recovered the second black box - the digital flight data recorder, which should reveal details of speed, altitude and the plane's trajectory immediately before the accident.
Police divers found the third body beside the remains of the cockpit about 35m deep in the sea, deputy prosecutor Dominique Alzeari said.
Seven men including five New Zealanders were killed when the A320 jet crashed into the Mediterranean on Friday off the coast of Perpignan.
The first black box - the cockpit voice recorder - was fished out of the sea on Sunday and is to be analysed for clues to the cause of the crash.
But local state prosecutor Jean-Pierre Dreno told AFP today it had been badly damaged and was unlikely to produce much information.
Air New Zealand pilot Captain Brian Horrell, 52, and engineers Murray White, 37, Michael Gyles, 49, and Noel Marsh, 35 and well as Civil Aviation Authority official Jeremy Cook, 58, were killed in the crash.
The plane was being flown by two German pilots from XL Airlines. The airline, which had leased the Airbus from Air NZ, said their names would not be released.
The plane was due to be returned to Air NZ.
Mr Marsh's father, wife and daughter arrived in France yesterday.
Mr White's family who were also in France visited the crash site yesterday with Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe.
"It all looks relatively tranquil, but in your heart it feels anything but that," Mr Fyfe said.
Another grieving family has arrived in France and one more is expected today.
Air NZ said it was too early to talk about a memorial service. However a spokeswoman said plans were under way for a worldwide minute's silence.
"We have plans for staff to be able to pay their respects to their lost colleagues through a minute's silence across the network globally on Friday,"
Air NZ yesterday said it had removed all newspapers from its aircraft and Koru lounges since Saturday so flyers would not read about the crash.
Papers were pulled "out of consideration to the travelling public and, most importantly, to the friends, families and colleagues of the five missing New Zealanders".
The airline yesterday postponed a biofuel-powered test flight, involving a Boeing 747-400.
French authorities are due to open an investigation for "involuntary homicide" early this week and police are working to identify the bodies through DNA samples.
Bad weather may hamper the search for further bodies.
- NZPA, NZ HERALD STAFF