A Malaysian expert (centre) looks for debris from the MH370 on a beach on the Reunion Island.

AFP/Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia said on Thursday plane wreckage found on a remote Indian Ocean island was from ill-fated flight MH370 and more debris had washed ashore, raising hopes that one of aviation's great mysteries could be solved.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced a two-metre-long wing part that was discovered on French Reunion Island last week was definitely from the plane, the first proof that it met a tragic end in the Indian Ocean 17 months ago.

"It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370," Najib said in an early-morning briefing after tests in France.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777's disappeared on March 8 last year, inexplicably veering off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

The disappearance created one of the biggest mysteries in the history of aviation, sparking a colossal hunt in the Indian Ocean based on satellite data which hinted at MH370's possible path.

French prosecutors involved in determining if the wing part was from MH370 used more cautious language than Najib, saying only there was a "very high probability" it came from the plane.

But Malaysia Airlines hailed the news as a "major breakthrough" that it said would hopefully help to find the plane somewhere in the depths of the Indian Ocean.

Aircraft seat cushions, window panes found

Aircraft seat cushions and window panes have also been found, Malaysia's transport minister said on Thursday.

"We have also found debris like window panes, aluminium foil and seat cushions," Liow Tiong Lai told AFP.

Liow, who later specified he was referring to aircraft seats and windows, said it remained to be seen whether the items found on Reunion Island were debris from the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.

"They are little parts, but the debris cannot be verified if it belongs to MH370. It has to be verified by the French authorities," he said.

Australian authorities, who have led a multinational search for the plane, also expressed renewed confidence that the frustrating search for the body of the plane in the Indian Ocean would succeed.

"It suggests that for the first time we might be a little bit closer to solving this baffling mystery," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.

Mixed reactions  

Anguished family members have awaited news with a mix of anticipation and dread, and some welcomed the first concrete proof of the plane's fate.

Sara Weeks, the sister of MH370 passenger Paul Weeks of New Zealand, said the confirmation ended "a week of turmoil".

"We've had 17 months of nothing... so actually finding something is the first step towards pinpointing where it is," she told the Fairfax New Zealand media group.

But some relatives who have consistently criticised Malaysia's handling of the crisis, particularly in China where most of the passengers were from, refused to believe the wing part was from the plane.

They have accused Najib's government and the airline of a bungled response to the disaster, possible cover-up, and insensitive treatment of families, charges that have been vehemently denied.

Some continued to insist on Thursday they would not believe the Malaysian authorities until the plane's black box data and flight recorders were recovered, or bodies were found.

"Where is my husband's body? Have any passengers' belongings been found? No. It's just a piece that they found," said Elaine Chew, whose husband Tan Size Hiang was part of the cabin crew.

"No, this is not closure for me."

Zhang Yongli, whose daughter was on the plane, expressed similar sentiments of anguish, anger and distrust.

"I don't believe this latest information about the plane, they have been lying to us from the beginning."

"I know my daughter is out there, but they won't tell us the truth," he added, waving Chinese and Communist Party flags.

Still, China's foreign ministry said Najib's declaration "confirmed the verdict on the Malaysia Airlines accident", and expressed "deep grief" for the passengers.

Rising confidence  

Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said he was now "confident that we're looking in the right area and we'll find the aircraft there".

But he told ABC radio it was "too early to tell" what exactly happened to the aircraft and that close examination of the flaperon was necessary.

Gerry Soejatman, a Jakarta-based aviation consultant, called the confirmed MH370 link a "huge step".

"People want all the answers, but look, let's be real. We must be glad that we found something at all. Now we know roughly where it might have crashed," he said.

"This answers a lot of questions actually. It eliminates other theories, conspiracy theories. If the black box is found later on, it is likely we could get more answers."