The news comes after it emerged co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had searched online for information about suicide and cockpit doors.
Data from the second black box recovered from the Germanwings plane wreckage has confirmed the co-pilot crashed the jet deliberately.
"A first reading shows that the pilot in the cockpit used the automatic pilot to descend the plane towards an altitude of 100 feet (30 metres)," said the French BEA crash investigation office in a statement.
"Then, several times during the descent, the pilot changed the automatic pilot settings to increase the aircraft's speed."
The latest information appears to confirm the theory that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately flew into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
Authorities found the second black box, which contains technical flight data, on Thursday after a nine-day search in difficult mountain terrain.
Data from the first black box, which records conversations in the cockpit, suggested Lubitz, 27, locked the captain out and then set the plane on a collision course.
The plane smashed into the mountains at a speed of 700km per hour (430 mph), instantly killing everyone on board. Half were German and more than 50 from Spain.
It emerged on Thursday that Lubitz had searched online for information about suicide and cockpit doors.
German prosecutors have said he was diagnosed as suicidal "several years ago" before he gained his pilot's licence.
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