However, authorities have warned that a small piece of plane debris is unlikely to solve the whole mystery.
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The news comes after a piece of wreckage believed to have belonged to the plane was washed up on Reunion in the Indian Ocean.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss confirmed the Australian government was aware of the discovery and said it was being examined by experts to determine its origin.
The debris washed up on the French island of Reunion, a few 4000km from the oceanic region where MH370 was thought to have gone down in March past year.
The wing piece found on Wednesday, however, contains a part number that is mentioned in Boeing’s manufacturer’s manual.
Experts said previously the identification should not be too hard as wing parts, such as the discovered flaperon, usually have identification numbers that make it rather straightforward to trace the component back to the particular aircraft.
“Yes, MAS (Malaysia Airlines) told me that the part number of that flaperon is a Boeing 777, but it does not mean that it belongs to MH370”.
For family members of the passengers who have been waiting for more than a year, as hard as it may be, closure could come soon. The rest came from a dozen other countries including France.
The others are Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down over war-torn Ukraine in July of 2014, and Asiana Airlines Flight 214, which crash-landed at a San Francisco airport in July of 2013. In addition to that, a legal expert from the investigating team and French investigation agency BEA would meet Malaysian officials.
Ever since, authorities have been combing the southern Indian Ocean for the aircraft, but no confirmed physical evidence has been found, sparking wild conspiracy theories about the plane’s fate.
The only known flaperon that is missing from a 777 would be from Flight 370.
The families deserved answers, she said.
“Thanks to this piece (of wreckage) we will be able to say virtually with certainty “there was no explosion”, or “there was no fire”.
Speculation on the cause of the plane’s disappearance has focused primarily on a possible mechanical or structural failure, a hijacking or terror plot, or rogue pilot action.
Dolan said: “We are confident we have the quality of the search to cover that area and find the missing aircraft”.
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The debris was discovered by a team of beach cleaners on Reunion.
