PARIS — Technical experts in France were to begin examining a washed-up plane part on Wednesday that almost certainly belonged to missing flight MH370, raising hopes that some light may finally be shed on one of aviation’s darkest mysteries.



The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared on March 8 last year when it inexplicably veered off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, and a colossal multinational hunt for the aircraft proved fruitless.



But last week’s discovery of a two-meter-long (6.6-foot-long) wing part called a flaperon on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion raised fresh hopes for relatives desperate for answers.



The Boeing 777 piece has been taken to the southwestern French city of Toulouse, where it will undergo the high-profile examination.



The case containing the wing part will be opened early afternoon Wednesday, said a French source close to the case, in the presence of French and Malaysian experts, Boeing employees and representatives from China — the country that lost the most passengers.



It is as yet unclear whether their conclusions will be announced on the same day or later, added the source, who wished to remain anonymous.



Australia’s deputy prime minister said on Wednesday, meanwhile, that official word on whether the flaperon is from MH370 is expected this week.



Jean-Paul Troadec, the former head of France’s BEA agency that investigates air accidents, said the analysis would focus on two issues — whether the flaperon belongs to MH370 and if so, whether it can shed light on the final moments of the plane.



He pointed for instance to the paint on the piece — which has already been confirmed as coming from a Boeing 777 plane — as a key element of the probe.



“Every airline paints their planes in a certain way... and if the paint used is used by Malaysia Airlines and other companies, there may be more certainty,” he said.



Pierre Bascary, former director of tests at the French Defense Procurement Agency, where the analysis will take place, added that the airline may have written maintenance information on the piece such as “Do Not Walk.” — AFP