Malaysia is convinced that the flaperon found in the Reunion Island belongs to Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370, after its team of experts confirmed a maintenance seal on the plane's part matches MAS' records.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the Malaysian team of experts from the Department of Civil Aviation, MAS, and the Malaysian International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team in Toulouse, France, had confirmed that the part was indeed from MH370.

"This conclusion is reached as the technical details of the flaperon matched MAS records.

"I reiterated that Malaysia's decision came from the Malaysian team of experts.

"We confirmed the maintenance parts belong to MAS in accordance to the maintenance records and, at the same time, the seal that we have in the flaperon is recognised by MAS maintenance experts. More importantly is the colour as well as other details that confirm it," he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak earlier today announced that a flaperon found on Reunion Island on July 29 belonged to MH370 which went missing over 17 months ago.

Flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens while enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board.

On July 29, part of the wing of an aircraft known as flaperon was found on Reunion Island and believed to be from a Boeing 777.

The flaperon was flown to Paris and moved to Toulouse on Aug 1 under the framework of the French judicial investigation led by M. Alain Gaudino, the investigating judge, for further inspection to verify its origins.

Liow said Malaysia respected the French authorities' plan to continue with the verification process.

He said the Reunion Island was in the French territory and it was their right to continue their investigation.

"I respect their view as they want to further get verification. They can continue. As far as we are concerned, we are convinced that it is from MH70," he said.

Liow said the flaperon's recovery location was consistent with the drift analysis determined by the experts.

He said additional plane debris had also been recovered in Reunion Island but it needed further verification to determine whether it was from MH370.

Liow said a MH370 tripartite ministerial meeting would be held to discuss the next course of action on the search.

- Bernama