I am aware of the limitations of the 5th freedom rights, but within Europe the "7th freedom rights" mean that having a UK or Irish AOC makes virtually no difference - for example do FR need a Belgian AOC to operate Charlois - Agadir? Did VLM hold a UK AOC to operate LCY - LPL & MAN?
I still find it a little odd that such a well developed and mature airline who have vast amounts of experience operating for years as a national flag carrier around the globe are now applying for a UK AOC. Is it some way of wrong footing the unions, similar to the botched attempt BA made with Open Skies?
After all the years of their existence why are they just now going down this route?