Roundup: Australian experts say evidence points to wreckage belonging to MH370

A leading Australian aviation expert said on Thursday that it is "highly likely" that plane debris found near Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean is from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Talking to Melbourne radio station 3AW on Thursday, aviation journalist Geoffrey Thomas said the debris, thought to be from an airliner's wing, was consistent with that of a large jetliner such as a Boeing 777.

He said he was cautiously optimistic the wing belonged to MH370 because in that part of the Indian Ocean there were westward currents which would take any flotsam from the likely crash site towards the east coast of Africa.

"I think it's actually highly likely that it is connected to MH370," he said.

"Although it's at Reunion Island which is on the other side of the Indian Ocean, the current in the Indian Ocean is anti- clockwise.

"So you can draw a perfect circle basically from the current search area, which is about 1,800 km south-west of Perth, all the way around to Reunion Island."

Thomas, an aviation journalist of more than 30 years' experience, was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society Aerospace Journalist of the Year for 2009, and is a leading aviation commentator for major television news network Channel 7 in Australia.

Australia's deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss, speaking at a doorstop on Thursday morning, also said the discovery of the wreckage was consistent with long-standing oceanographer predictions.

"It is in a place that is consistent with the area we are searching at present and would be consistent with the calculations being made for the likely resting place for MH370," Truss said.

Thomas said the serial numbers on parts found within the plane wing would help Boeing investigators decide whether or not the wreckage belonged to MH370. He anticipated this could occur soon.

"I expect that Boeing would be able to confirm within about 24 hours if it is from a Boeing 777 and indeed if it is from the exact aeroplane lost on March 8, 2014," he said.

Joe Hattley from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said Boeing and Malaysia Airlines were now in possession of crucial photographs of the debris, which could lead it its identification.

"We have forwarded the photographs onto Boeing for assessment and also to Malaysian Airlines so we can try and positively identify it to see if it's off a Boeing 777," he said.

Another aviation expert, Xavier Tytelman, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that a number found on the debris " BB670" was not a serial number or the plane's registration, but would help investigators identify the part within days.

However, a spokesman from the ATSB, Dan O'Malley, told Xinhua on Thursday morning that identifying the parts could take time, and no news has yet been announced by either Boeing or Malaysia Airlines.

"I don't have a timeframe (for any confirmation)," O'Malley said. "We were notified that debris was found last night, now we' re waiting for more information."

MH370 was a scheduled Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, which disappeared in March last year.

It was carrying 239 passengers, most of those Chinese, though six Australians were also on board. Endi