Mr Bussereau's earlier press release where he said an announcement on a new search would be made following the
commencement of a review in September shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Le Point.fr reported on 17 September 2010 the following:-
On the night of 31 May to 1 June 2009, Air France flight AF447 disappeared between Rio de Janeiro and Paris. On board the Airbus A330-200 F-GZCP were 216 passengers and 12 crew members, who perished when the aircraft crashed into the sea. More than a year after the crash, many mysteries remain. To know the causes of the accident, the recovery of the wreck and especially that of the two flight recorders, is essential.
But after three search phases that led to the recovery of bodies and floating debris, and in an unequalled interest in the investigation; the investigation has made little progress. To revive the investigation, the Civil Aviation Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) has undertaken an inventory phase of all actions since the crash. Databases were created to classify all the evidence gathered since June 1, 2009, by ships, aircraft, underwater vehicles and even satellites for a year. "There is an enormous task of sorting. This should enable us to determine which areas have been fully explored, those where there is no hope, lastly, those already searched where further research/searching could still be done," said John Paul Troadec, director of the BEA, speaking to Le Point.fr. "Then we can define the strategy of a fourth phase of searching."
The BEA is expected to complete its investigation in October. The budget will then be determined. Without public funding, a new call to Airbus and Air France is possible for an expense that should be less than (euro) five million. Technical resources - specialized ships, robots, sonars and their operators - particularly in high demand by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, should then also be available.
A further article on 29 September in Le Point.fr reaffirmed the October decision date, and I doubt a reshuffling of the political "deck chairs" is going to change the ultimate outcome.
mm43