The coffins of 15 school pupils killed in the Germanwings plane crash are to leave Dusseldorf airport in a hearse convoy and travel to the town of Haltern, where the children were from.

Police said the convoy is expected to arrive in Haltern in western Germany at around 3pm local time this afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the families of the victims will attend a short ceremony at a hangar at the airport, where the coffins are laid out.

Germanwings parent company Lufthansa brought 44 of the 150 victims back to Dusseldorf yesterday, more than two months after the plane crashed into the French Alps.

Investigators believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had a history of depression, intentionally crashed the A320 flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf.

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