Originally Posted by
switch_on_lofty
Short answer no. That would be cabotage. Not permitted unless member states agree. In the EU this is permitted between members. Hence Ryanair (Irish AOC) can operate intra and extra EU i.e Milan to Dublin and Milan to Birmingham. But BMI Regional (UK AOC) couldn't keep operating Brussels to Hanover or Munich to Milan after Brexit.
I think it's a bit more complicated than that.
Ryanair
* has both UK & EU subsidiaries, with respective UK & EU AOCs.
Ryanair UK registered aircraft can operate from one UK airport to another, and from a UK airport to and from an EU airport, but not from one EU airport to another.
Ryanair EU registered aircraft can operate from one EU airport to another, and from an EU airport to or from a UK airport, but not from one UK airport to another.
If a Ryanair UK aircraft goes U/S at an EU airport, it must be repaired by a UK-registered LAME, and similarly if a Ryanair EU aircraft goes U/S at a UK airport, it must be repaired by a EU-registered LAME. Fortunately, LAMEs can be dual-registered, but I believe it's a lot of paperwork and quite a lot of extra expense.
This is the extra flexibility brought by Brexit and by the
UKEnglish government choosing not to be part of EASA
* other airlines are affected just the same