Transport consultant Rosli Khan and Matta president Nigel Wong said the new arrangement would improve connectivity, making it a boon for tourism.
On the other hand, they said, uneven airport development across the region could present significant obstacles.
Wong said that aside from major ones, many airports in Asean, especially those in secondary cities and rural areas, are still not equipped to handle additional flights.
Echoing Wong’s view, Rosli pointed out that not all Asean countries have equally well-developed airport infrastructure.
“This could limit the potential benefits that the policy presents for airlines operating in nations with less well-equipped airports,” he told FMT.
Last week, transport minister Loke Siew Fook announced that Asean airlines will be allowed to operate flights with stopover rights in any country within the region from next year.
This will enable airlines to make a stop in one Asean country before proceeding directly to another destination within the region.
Loke said Malaysian airlines are in a prime position to benefit from the initiative as local carriers already operate in numerous Asean nations.
However, Rosli said larger and more well-established carriers may gain more from the new protocol than smaller airlines.
“Major carriers like Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, which already have extensive networks, are better positioned to integrate this new flexibility into their operations,” he said.
He added that this could help them dominate high-demand routes such as Singapore–Bangkok–Hanoi or Singapore–Kuala Lumpur–Yangon.
In contrast, Rosli said, smaller airlines may struggle to compete due to limited fleet size or financial resources to take on multi-leg regional routes.
Wong also feels that the success of the initiative could be influenced by national priorities.
“It remains to be seen to what extent Asean nations will cooperate on this given that every nation would want to ensure that they can also nurture and grow their own air travel industries,” he added.