‘Real prospect’ aeroplane debris is from MH370 if determined to be 777 wreckage: Truss

The aeroplane wreckage that washed up on the Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean is "consistent" with the MH370 search area, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss has said.

"If it does happen to be wreckage from a 777 then obviously the prospect of it coming from MH370 is real," he said.

Experts are analysing the debris to determine if it could be from the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared without a trace in March last year, with 239 people on board.

Mr Truss said it was an "interesting discovery".

"If it is in fact airline wreckage, it is in a place that is consistent with the area we are searching at the present time and would be consistent with the calculations that have been made in relation to the likely resting place for MH370," he said.

However, he said it was possible the debris was from another lost plane, saying the wreckage could have travelled a long way along the ocean currents.

Australia will offer any assistance it could to the investigators, he said.