Indonesia search chief says AirAsia jet tail now found

Indonesian search and rescue teams hunting for the wreck of an AirAsia passenger jet have located the tail of the aircraft underwater, agency chief Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo told reporters on Wednesday.

Indonesian officials say they are confident wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 has been located. (AAP)

"We have found the tail that has been our main target today," said Soelistyo. "The tail part has been found and confirmed at a position in our second priority sector."

The tail is the section where the crucial black box voice and flight data recorders are located.

The Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320-200 plunged into the Java Sea on Dec. 28 en route from Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board. No survivors have been found.