Aer Lingus operated via Manchester from the 50s through to the early 70s in the pooling environment where revenues and timetabling were shared across much/most/all the European flag carriers.
These arrangements were to come to an end when around 1983 due to EEC competition laws.
Oh no - not at all.
Here is a link to a debate in the Irish Parliament in 1972...
Dáil Éireann - 12/Dec/1972 Ceisteanna?Questions. Oral Answers. - Aer Lingus Service.
Tuesday, 12 December 1972
Mr. O.J. Flanagan: asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he will make a statement in regard to the phasing out of the Aer Lingus European service via Manchester.
Mr. B. Lenihan: I would refer the Deputy to the Press release issued by the Government Information Bureau on my behalf of the 2nd December, copy of which as been placed in the Library.
The basic purpose of the air agreement is the attainment of parity of operations between the airlines of the two countries on routes between the two countries. The balance of operations has been substantially in favour [1149] of Aer Lingus and the UK authorities sought consultations in the matter in July last in accordance with the provisions for review in the agreement.
In the talks which followed in September and December the UK authorities sought to have the balance redressed and, in particular, pressed for the elimination of the fifth freedom services between Manchester and the Continent which they held to be in conflict with the terms of the agreement. The agreement provides that in the operation of services the primary objective is the provision of capacity adequate to cater for the traffic between the two countries and that in the case of fifth freedom services capacity should be related to (a) traffic requirements to and from this country, (b) the traffic requirements of the area through which the airline passes after taking account of the air services of the airlines of the States comprising the area and (c) the requirements of through airline operations.
The UK authorities pointed to the fact that on many of the routes the Aer Lingus fifth freedom traffic exceeded that carried between Dublin and Manchester or between Dublin and the points served on the Continent and that British and continental airlines are in a position to provide all the capacity required between Manchester and the Continent. It would be uneconomic for Aer Lingus to operate these services at a reduced capacity, even if this course were acceptable to the UK authorities. An understanding was reached on the basis that the present Aer Lingus third and fourth freedom services between the UK and Ireland would continue and that their fifth freedom services at Manchester would be phased out over a period of years ending in 1978.
A similar sort of thing happened with SABENA transatlantic services. Only when the foreign airlines had built the market did the flag carrier come along and decide to operate them with any seriousness.
The mid 90s attempt by EI was done under the third EU aviation package which introduced what was effectively open market access across the EU and those other states signed up to the aviation package. Arguably one of the few good bits of legislation to come out of Europe
Regulation 2408/92/EC (the Route Access Regulation) set out the rules on access for Community air carriers to intra-Community air routes. From 1 January 1993 airlines would have full access to all routes between Member States and the right to offer services between airports in two other Member States, the so-called seventh freedom of the air. Full, unrestricted access to all routes within the Community commenced on 1 April 1997 for both scheduled and charter services, the eighth freedom of the air (also called ‘consecutive cabotage’).
This of course laid the foundations for the market we have today and promoted the rise of the low cost airlines.