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espite increasing scrutiny of cockpit regulations following the recent Germanwings crash that killed all 150 people on board, Indonesian authorities have said they will not impose rules in the near future requiring two crew members to be in the cockpit at all times.

Transportation Ministry spokesperson Julius Andravida Barata said even though the ministry had not issued a regulation that specifically obliged airlines to apply the '€œrule of two'€, such a practice was already common in the country'€™s aviation industry.

'€œIf the regulation has been internationally implemented and it is proven to improve safety then we will consider issuing the regulation,'€ Barata said on Monday.

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia spokesperson Pujobroto said the procedure, which obliges a flight attendant to stand in whenever the pilot or copilot leaves the cockpit, was a standard procedure that had been implemented by the airline as part of safety measures.

Indonesia AirAsia (IAA) corporate secretary Audrey Progastama also said the budget airline had implemented the '€œrule of two'€ procedure since the airline was established 10 years ago.

'€œThis means every time a pilot or copilot needs to go out of the cockpit, an engineer or a flight attendant will temporarily replace him in the cockpit,'€ Audrey told The Jakarta Post.

She also said the airline had complied with a government regulation ordering all crew members to undergo health examinations every six months to ensure they remain in a fit enough physical and mental state to fly.

Last week, French prosecutors said that Germanwings flight 9525 copilot Andreas Lubitz, 28, locked the pilot out of the cockpit before intentionally crashing the aircraft into the slopes of the French Alps.

German authorities said they had found torn-up sick notes showing Lubitz was suffering from an illness that should have grounded him on the day of the crash.

Following the incident, Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, was forced to introduce the '€œrule of two'€, which will be followed by all German airlines.

The Australian government will also impose such a rule for all domestic and international flights carrying 50 or more passengers as a safety precaution.

A Singaporean Silk Air flight plunged into a river in Indonesia in 1997. There were indications the flight was deliberately crashed and the pilot was facing financial problems. However, Singaporean police found no evidence to support the claims.

Aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said the policy of having two crew in the cockpit was required, though it would not completely eliminate all risks.

'€œThe policy only helps to eliminate the possibility of such an incident. It doesn'€™t mean that the policy is completely pointless, but it cannot prevent such an incident being repeated,'€ Gerry said.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said that Indonesia had implemented the rule requiring at least two pilots on a plane. But the regulation does not require a cabin member to stand in if one of the pilots take a toilet break.

'€œSince three months ago, we have also mandated pilots to conduct face-to-face briefings [with flight operations officers] which was opposed by a lot of people. But I insisted on issuing the regulation for safety reasons,'€ the minister said on Monday.