The Indonesian government has tightened the requirements for the use of foreign pilots by the country's airlines in a bid to boost safety in aviation, media reported here on Monday.

Indonesian transport ministry required foreign pilots to have the appropriate flying hours for the type of aircraft they pilot.

"The transportation minister, in this case the air transportation directorate general, is requiring that foreign pilots wishing to apply for an Indonesian license or to validate theirs should have at least 250 flying hours for the specific aircraft they want to fly," the ministry was quoted by the Jakarta globe as saying.

It said that airline operators wishing to use foreign pilots should also meet all requirements.

The ministry said that the new requirement took effect as of January 10.

"The move has been taken in the context of improving aviation safety, especially to prevent a number of air incidents, including serious ones, involving foreign pilots," the ministry said.

The National Committee for Transportation Safety in December said that the Sukhoi Superjet crash that killed all 45 people on board during a demonstration flight in May was due to the foreign pilot's unfamiliarity with the terrain of West Java's Mount Salak.

In mid-October, a Sriwijaya Air plane carrying 96 passengers landed at Tabing airbase in Padang, West Sumatra, 12 km from its intended destination of Padang airport. A ministry spokesman called it a "serious" breach of safety, though the landing was normal, and its foreign pilot was suspended pending investigations.

Some 600 foreign pilots are estimated to be working currently with Indonesian airlines such as Lion Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Wings Air and Sriwijaya Air.