The cause of the crash remains unclear. The agency said in a statement that the private cable-laying ship Ile de Sein arrived at the wreckage spot early Tuesday morning and that an underwater robot will be used to help locate and recover the flight recorders in the jetliner's rear section.
Experts have said that without retrieving the voice and data recorders there would be almost no chance of determining what caused the crash - the worst disaster in Air France's history.