Divers have now recovered the bodies of six of the seven people who died in the Air New Zealand crash off the coast of southern France and hope to be able to identify them early in the New Year.
The Airbus A320 plunged into the sea near Perpignan
on November 28, killing all seven on board - five New Zealanders and the two German pilots.
The A320 was in its final assessment before it was handed back to Air New Zealand after it had been leased to the German airline XL Airways.
French authorities said the investigation into the crash would continue over Christmas.
Divers had recovered the bodies of six of the seven people who died in the crash, but the extent of damage to the bodies was complicating the investigation.
The team of divers would continue to search the wreckage for the remaining body this week, assisted by an observation robot.
The French prosecutor expected to formally identify the bodies by mid-January.
French authorities said they intended to bring parts of the cockpit out of the water.
The plane's flight recorders had been sent to their manufacturer in the United States.
Four of the five New Zealanders on board were Air NZ staff.
They were Captain Brian Horrell, 52, from Auckland; engineers Murray White, 37, from Auckland, Michael Gyles, 49, from Christchurch, and Noel Marsh, 35, from Christchurch.
The fifth New Zealander was Civil Aviation Authority airworthiness inspector Jeremy Cook, 58, of Wellington.
A memorial service for Mr Cook is to be held for at the Air Force Museum in in Wigram, Christchurch, this afternoon.
- NZPA
