A commander at Surabaya air force base in Indonesia said that visibility in the search area was good.

The Airbus A320-200 disappeared over the Java Sea early on Sunday en route to Singapore from Surabaya.

The pilots had requested a course change due to bad weather but did not send any distress call before the plane disappeared from radar screens.

"God willing, we can find it soon," said First Admiral Sigit Setiayana at the Surabaya air force base.

Sunday's search was largely suspended as night fell.

Although some ships continued the hunt overnight, the main search planes and vessels, from several nations, resumed at first light on Monday.

Indonesian transport ministry official Tatang Kurniadi said: "Our primary task is to find the plane. We are co-operating with every possible department, and relevant countries.