A former pilot for flag carrier Garuda Indonesia who crash-landed his plane in 2007 killing 21 people, has won his appeal against a two-year prison sentence, his lawyer said on Dec. 12.

Prosecutors had said that Marwoto Komar ignored warnings from his co-pilot and onboard alert signals about the plane's speed and trajectory when landing the aircraft with 140 people on board.

The Boeing 737 bounced and skidded off the runway at Yogyakarta airport in Java, before bursting into flames in a rice field.

The Yogyakarta High Court "overturned charges of negligence and said he (Komar) did his best to save the plane and passengers," said Muhammad Assegaf, a lawyer for Komar.

Assegaf said that Komar, who was sentenced to two years in prison in April 2009, was "very happy and grateful" for the decision and wished to fly again.

Five Australians -- two policemen, a diplomat, a journalist and an aid official -- died in the crash. They were part of a group that had accompanied former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer, who was not on board the plane, on his visit to Indonesia.

The case triggered airline industry protests over the use of a criminal court to punish the pilot.

Indonesia has suffered a string of airline disasters in recent years, affecting both its commercial and military aircraft, and its airlines were banned from flying in European air space because of concerns over safety standards.

The European Commission only recently lifted the ban on four Indonesian airlines, including national carrier Garuda Indonesia, citing safety improvements.