Indonesian divers launch efforts to retrieve AirAsia black boxes

Tonny Budiono, a navigation director for the transport ministry, said on Sunday divers had found the location of the black box and planned to gradually shift layers of the aircraft debris to retrieve it on Monday.

If that failed, teams would lift the debris using large balloons, the same technique used to lift the tail section.

Once the recorders are retrieved and taken to the capital, Jakarta, for analysis, it could take up to two weeks to download data, investigators said. However, the information could be accessed in as little as two days if the devices are not badly damaged.

The cause of the crash is not known but the national weather bureau has said seasonal storms were likely to be a factor.

Indonesia AirAsia, 49 percent owned by the Malaysia-based AirAsia budget group, has come under pressure from authorities in Jakarta since the crash.

President Joko Widodo said the crash exposed widespread problems in the management of air transportation in Indonesia.

The transport ministry has suspended the carrier's Surabaya-Singapore licence for flying on a Sunday, for which it did not have permission. However, the ministry has said this had no bearing on the crash of Flight QZ8501.