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Indonesian airlines have been cleared to begin flying to the US, after a safety review by regulators.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Indonesia had been upgraded to "Category 1" - the top-tier air-safety rating - after nearly a decade.

Indonesia's fast-growing aviation market suffered several high-profile accidents and was downgraded in 2007.

The European Union also recently lifted a ban on three Indonesian airlines.

After a safety review in March, Indonesia now complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, the FAA .

"With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, Indonesian air carriers...can establish service to the United States and carry the code of US carriers," the FAA said.

The South-east Asian nation has had 13 fatal plane crashes in the past decade, according to Flightglobal data, higher than the global average.

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Indonesia's state carrier Garuda Indonesia could begin flying to the US next year, reports said. It is reportedly exploring a possible new service from the Indonesian capital Jakarta to New York or Los Angeles.

However, analysts say launching in the US market will be a challenging, and potentially costly, enterprise.

"It represents a huge and risky investment at a time Garuda is already struggling with its international operation," Brendan Sobie from the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation told the ����ý.

India and the Philippines were returned to Category 1 status in recent years after making improvements. However, Thailand was downgraded last December.