Malaysian officials have confirmed that a piece of debris found in the Indian Ocean belongs to a Boeing 777, a same type of aircraft as that of the missing flight MH370, which vanished more than 16 months ago with 239 passengers on board.
Malaysian Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said Friday that the part number on the barnacle-clustered wing part, which was earlier recovered on the French island of La Reunion, confirms that it came from a Boeing 777.
“From the part number, it is confirmed that it is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. This information is from MAS (Malaysia Airlines). They have informed me,” he said.
No definitive answers just yet
The recovery of the flaperon has boosted hopes that the mystery surrounding flight MH370 could finally be solved.
The two-meter long piece has been sent to Toulouse in southern France for further analysis. Malaysian officials have said that any confirmation on the link between the wreckage and the missing plane would depend on the investigations in France.
Abdul Aziz, the Malaysian deputy minister, said however that the final say on the matter would come from Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer.
Holding their breaths once again
Australian officials have also expressed hope that the recovered part could provide at least some answers for the many questions around the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370.
The newly found piece has likely brought renewed anxiety to the families of the passengers who vanished on board the plane in March 2014.
“The most important part of this whole exercise at the moment is to give some kind of closure to the families,” said Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss, referring to the misery of the families of the missing passengers, some of whom still harbor hopes.
A multinational search effort focusing on the southern Indian Ocean and led by Australia has yet to produce any concrete clues in the case, with officials claiming that the operation has been repeatedly perplexed due to false leads and wrong information.