The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be expanded north after a French satellite picked up objects in the Indian Ocean, 850 kilometres from the present search area.

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the French sighting could open up a new avenue of inquiry in the search.

''The French sighting is, I guess, a piece of new material because that's in a completely different location. That's about 850 kilometres north of our current search area so we need to check that out as well.

"That's not in the area that had been identified as the most likely place where the aircraft may have entered the sea. But having said all that we've got to check out all the options."