Updated March 08, 2017 12:24:45

Photo: Malcolm Turnbull lays a wreath for the 10th anniversary of the Garuda plane crash. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

Ten years since 21 people were killed in a plane crash in Indonesia, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has laid a wreath at the Australian embassy in Jakarta remembering the Australians who died.

On March 7, 2007 a Garuda airlines plane ran off the runway in Yogyakarta after the pilot approached at too fast a speed.

Five of those who died were Australians who were travelling to the city as part of a delegation covering a visit by the then-foreign minister Alexander Downer.

They included Australian Federal Police officers Brice Steele and Mark Scott, Morgan Mellish from the Australian Financial Review, Liz O'Neill from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Allison Sudradjat from AusAid.

Many other passengers were badly wounded. Mr Downer was on a different plane.

Mr Turnbull is in Jakarta for a day-long visit to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association Summit.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, Trade Minister Steven Ciobo issued an apology after his office sent out a press release promoting additional Garuda flights between Indonesia and Australia.

Minister Ciobo, who is also in Jakarta, apologised for the "insensitivity".

Indonesia's aviation safety has long been in a spotlight. In February this year a Garuda Boeing 737-800 carrying 130 people also skidded off the runaway in Yogyakarta. No one was injured.

Topics: turnbull-malcolm, accidents, disasters-and-accidents, indonesia

First posted March 07, 2017 23:06:27