The tail of the Airbus A320, which plummeted into the sea on Dec. 28., was discovered on the ocean floor this week after a slow-moving search hampered by heavy rains, high winds and perilous seas. Officials were hoping the black boxes, which could explain the reason for the crash, would be inside.
Black box beacons emit signals for about 30 days until the batteries die. Divers have about two weeks left to find them.
"I am fully confident that the black boxes are still not far from the tail," said Indonesian military commander Gen. Moeldoko.
The red metal chunk, with the words "AirAsia" written on it, was brought to the surface using inflatable bags and a crane to lift it onto a rescue ship.Four more bodies were recovered Friday, two strapped in their seats on the ocean floor, bringing the total to 48. Officials hope many of the remaining corpses will be found inside the missing fuselage.
Suryadi Bambang Supriyadi, operation director of Indonesia's national search and rescue agency, said Saturday that he was still focused on finding the main section of fuselage. Several large objects have been spotted in the area by sonar, but they had not yet been explored underwater.
"This is what the families have been waiting for," Supriyadi said. "They have been crying for 14 days."
Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan cracked down on five airlines Friday, temporarily suspending 61 flights, because they were flying routes on days without permits.
Earlier, all AirAsia flights from Surabaya to Singapore — the intended path of Flight 8501 — were suspended after it was discovered that the low-cost carrier was not authorized to fly on Sundays.
Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan sanctioned nine more officials for allowing the plane to fly without permits, bringing the total to 16.
