The agreement is not yet concrete and there remain a number of hurdles to overcome before its expected full implementation next year. There are concerns over whether the existing airport infrastructure can handle the expected surge in passenger arrivals, as major regional hubs in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are already operating at near capacity, while smaller provincial airports have not been designed to cope with a large number of arrivals.
In addition there is a concern, from Indonesia in particular, as to whether some domestic carriers will be able to survive in a more competitive regional environment. Cheaper airfares, predatory pricing or collusion may weed out weaker carriers.