KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia Airlines said on Thursday the confirmation that debris found on an Indian Ocean island came from flight MH370 was a "major breakthrough" in solving the mystery of the flight's disappearance.

"This is indeed a major breakthrough for us in resolving the disappearance of MH370 and we expect and hope that there would be more objects to be found which would be able to help resolve this mystery," said a statement by the airline, quoted by the official Bernama news agency.

After the plane went missing, Malaysia Airlines came under intense fire over its inability to explain the loss of a Boeing 777 aircraft with 239 people aboard.

Many relatives have also accused it, along with Malaysia's government, of a bungled response, possible cover-up, and insensitive treatment of families, charges that are vehemently denied.

"Moving forward, Malaysia Airlines' priority will be to continue providing the latest updates and information to the families and will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities on the investigation and recovery of this tragic accident," the airline statement said.

Malaysia Airlines has been left reeling by the loss of MH370 and the shooting down over Ukraine last year of flight MH17, which killed 298 people.

A drop in bookings following the disasters compounded years of losses, forcing a government bailout and the slashing of 6,000 jobs.