Republic Airways
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis , United States |
Area served | North America |
| Products | Regional airline services |
| Parent | Republic Airways Holdings |
Republic Airways operates as a regional airline within the United States and functions as a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings. It provides flight services for American Airlines under the American Eagle banner, for Delta Air Lines as part of Delta Connection, and for United Airlines through United Express. Its fleet primarily consists of regional jets from the Embraer 170 and 175 series. The company’s main office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
History
Republic Airways Holdings established "Republic Airline, Inc." in 1999; however, the entity remained dormant until 2004. Activation occurred to address a pilot union scope clause conflict with American Airlines. At that time, American had assigned 44-seat regional jets to Chautauqua Airlines, another Republic subsidiary. When Chautauqua began operating larger 70-seat jets for United Airlines, it breached American’s pilot union scope clause. To resolve this, Republic Airways Holdings transferred these larger aircraft to Republic Airline following its acquisition of Part 121 certification in 2005, settling the issue with a $6.6 million payment to American’s pilot union.
US Airways’ pilot scope clause imposed limitations on operating large regional jets such as the Embraer E170. In response, US Airways collaborated with Republic via the "Jets for Jobs" initiative, which led to the creation of MidAtlantic Airways. As part of US Airways’ bankruptcy restructuring, Republic acquired the 25 Embraer E170s initially delivered to MidAtlantic, thereby expanding its fleet.
In 2007, Republic entered into an 11-year contract to operate 17 Embraer E170 aircraft on behalf of Frontier Airlines. Following Frontier’s Chapter 11 filing in 2008, Republic Airways Holdings acquired Frontier through bankruptcy proceedings but divested it in 2013, ceasing operations under the Frontier brand.
Republic established a base at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in 2008 and simultaneously secured a decade-long codeshare agreement with Midwest Airlines. Subsequently, Republic purchased Midwest Airlines for $31 million in 2009.
By January 2013, Republic had entered into a capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines to operate Embraer E175 jets under the American Eagle brand, commencing service in August that year.
On February 25, 2016, Republic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to pilot shortages despite having ratified a new labor contract in October 2015. At the time of filing, the company reported liabilities totaling $2.97 billion against assets valued at $3.56 billion. In November 2016, Republic submitted its Plan of Reorganization with the objective of emerging from bankruptcy early in 2017.
Following its restructuring, on January 31, 2017, Republic consolidated its subsidiaries Shuttle America and Republic Airways under the Republic name. Later, in December 2018, the operating division was renamed Republic Airways to better reflect alignment with its parent company.
As of early 2017, Republic operated what was recognized as the largest global fleet of Embraer E170 and E175 aircraft.
On September 21, 2021, Republic declared plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Carmel, Indiana. This move involves a $200 million investment in a new facility anticipated to generate close to 2,000 jobs and become operational by January 2026. The relocation aims to foster business expansion and improve training infrastructure.
Merger with Mesa Airlines
On April 7, 2025, Republic Airways Holdings revealed plans for an all-stock merger to acquire Mesa Airlines. Following the merger, Republic shareholders are projected to hold approximately 88% ownership in the new entity, while Mesa shareholders will possess between 6% and 12%. The transaction is anticipated to finalize by late 2025, pending approval from both shareholders and regulatory authorities.
After the merger's completion, the combined airline will operate an estimated fleet of 310 Embraer 170/175 jets, conducting over 1,250 departures daily. Republic will continue its existing partnerships with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. Meanwhile, Mesa will maintain operations under a decade-long contract with United. Prior to the merger, Mesa had downsized its fleet to roughly 60 leased Embraer 175 aircraft from United. This unification elevates Republic and SkyWest Airlines as the two foremost independent regional carriers within the U.S.
Destinations
As of , Republic provides service on behalf of American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express throughout North America.
... [Continuation of destination list follows] ...| City | Country (Region) | IATA | Airport | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | Canada (Nova Scotia) | YHZ | Halifax Stanfield International Airport | |
| Ottawa | Canada (Ontario) | YOW | Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport | |
| Toronto | Canada (Ontario) | YYZ | Toronto Pearson International Airport | |
| Montreal | Canada (Quebec) | YUL | Montréal–Trudeau International Airport | |
| Quebec City | Canada (Quebec) | YQB | Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport | |
| Fayetteville/Springdale | United States (Arkansas) | XNA | Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport | |
| Little Rock | United States (Arkansas) | LIT | Clinton National Airport | |
| Jacksonville | United States (Florida) | JAX | Jacksonville International Airport | |
| Key West | United States (Florida) | EYW | Key West International Airport | |
| Sarasota | United States (Florida) | SRQ | Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport | |
| Tallahassee | United States (Florida) | TLH | Tallahassee International Airport | |
| Atlanta | United States (Georgia) | ATL | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport | |
| Savannah | United States (Georgia) | SAV | Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport | |
| Chicago | United States (Illinois) | ORD | O'Hare International Airport | Base |
| Indianapolis | United States (Indiana) | IND | Indianapolis International Airport | Base |
| Cedar Rapids | United States (Iowa) | CID | Eastern Iowa Airport | |
| Des Moines | United States (Iowa) | DSM | Des Moines International Airport | |
| Lexington | United States (Kentucky) | LEX | Blue Grass Airport | |
| Louisville | United States (Kentucky) | SDF | Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport | Base |
| New Orleans | United States (Louisiana) | MSY | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport | |
| Bangor | United States (Maine) | BGR | Bangor International Airport | |
| Portland (ME) | United States (Maine) | PWM | Portland International Jetport | |
| Baltimore | United States (Maryland) | BWI | Baltimore/Washington International Airport | |
| Boston | United States (Massachusetts) | BOS | Logan International Airport | Base |
| Worcester | United States (Massachusetts) | ORH | Worcester Regional Airport | |
| Detroit | United States (Michigan) | DTW | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport | |
| Grand Rapids | United States (Michigan) | GRR | Gerald R. Ford International Airport | |
| Duluth | United States (Minnesota) | DLH | Duluth International Airport | |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | United States (Minnesota) | MSP | Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport | |
| Kansas City | United States (Missouri) | MCI | Kansas City International Airport | |
| St. Louis | United States (Missouri) | STL | St. Louis Lambert International Airport | |
| Lincoln | United States (Nebraska) | LNK | Lincoln Airport | |
| Omaha | United States (Nebraska) | OMA | Eppley Airfield | |
| Newark | United States (New Jersey) | EWR | Newark Liberty International Airport | Base |
| Buffalo | United States (New York) | BUF | Buffalo Niagara International Airport | |
| Ithaca | United States (New York) | ITH | Ithaca Tompkins International Airport | |
| New York City | United States (New York) | JFK | John F. Kennedy International Airport | |
| New York City | United States (New York) | LGA | LaGuardia Airport | Base |
| Rochester | United States (New York) | ROC | Greater Rochester International Airport | |
| Syracuse | United States (New York) | SYR | Syracuse Hancock International Airport |
Current fleet
As of the latest update, Republic Airways' fleet consists of the following aircraft:[1]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passenger configuration | Operated for | Remarks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Y+ | Y | Total | |||||
| Embraer 170 | 3 | – | 12 | 20 | 34 | 66 | American Eagle | Orders originally placed by Delta Connection have been reassigned |
| 11 | — | 9 | 12 | 48 | 69 | Delta Connection[1] | Scheduled for transfer to American Eagle | |
| 14 | — | 6 | 16 | 70 | United Express[1] | Planned phase-out from United Express operations | ||
| Embraer 175 | 76 | — | 12 | 20 | 44 | 76 | American Eagle[1] | |
| 46 | — | 20 | 44 | Delta Connection[1] | ||||
| 53 | 14 | 16 | 48 | United Express[1] | ||||
| 3 | — | — | 64 | Republic Airways | Utilized for American Eagle and charter services | |||
| Total | 206 | (14) | ||||||
Fleet development
Republic Airways introduced the Embraer 175 to the U.S. domestic market in March 2007, initially placing an order for 36 units configured with 80 seats to operate under the US Airways Express banner.
In July 2010, the airline expanded its fleet by ordering 24 Embraer 190 aircraft. Subsequently, in May 2012, Republic agreed to manage a fleet of 28 Bombardier Q400 turboprops for United Express following the bankruptcy of Pinnacle Airlines; however, this Q400 fleet was fully retired by 2017.
A three-year agreement was signed in October 2012 between Republic and Caesars Entertainment to operate five Embraer 190 jets, delivering more than 1,500 charter flights annually until August 2015. After the contract ended, these aircraft were either sold or returned.
January 2013 saw Republic secure a capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines to operate 47 Embraer 175 jets under the American Eagle brand out of Chicago, including options for an additional 47 aircraft starting in 2015. Deliveries commenced in July 2013 with service launching on August 1. Later expansions included hubs at Miami in October 2014 and New York-JFK by May 2015.
By late 2015, Republic obtained FAA authorization for Extended Overwater Operations (EOW), permitting flights up to 162 nautical miles from shore. As of January 2017, only Republic’s Embraer 175 jets flying for American Airlines held EOW certification, servicing routes to the Caribbean and Central America.
In preparation for its merger with Shuttle America in late 2016, Republic modified its American Eagle-operated Embraer 175s by removing four seats to adhere to Delta’s scope clause restricting regional jets to a maximum of 76 seats.
On January 31, 2017, Shuttle America’s aircraft were integrated under Republic’s operating certificate, establishing Republic as the largest global operator of Embraer 170 and 175 jets.
On December 20, 2018, Republic confirmed a firm order for 100 Embraer 175 planes, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the latter half of 2020.
In October 2019, Republic took delivery of the first batch of thirty E175s transferred from Compass Airlines following contract cancellations with Delta.
In September 2021, Republic agreed to sell eleven E170s and six E175s to Envoy Air.
Retired fleet
| Aircraft type | Quantity | Year introduced | Year retired | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer ERJ-135 | 1 | 2017 | 2019 | Primarily utilized for pilot training purposes. |
| Embraer E190 | 17 | 2009 | 2015 | Served operations for Frontier Airlines and Midwest Airlines. |
| Bombardier Q400 | 31 | 2012 | 2017 | Deployed on behalf of United Express. |
Incidents
- On April 9, 2017, a passenger was forcibly removed from a United Express flight operated by Republic at Chicago O'Hare after refusing to relinquish his seat to an airline employee, leading to widespread criticism of United Airlines.
- On June 21, 2018, an Embraer E170 owned by Republic sustained damage beyond repair caused by a fire during maintenance at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
- On May 10, 2019, a passenger exhibiting suicidal behavior tried to open a cabin door mid-flight on a Republic-operated Delta Connection E175, resulting in an emergency landing at New York LaGuardia; the incident concluded without any injuries.
- On November 6, 2019, American Eagle Flight 4439, operated by an E175, encountered significant control difficulties after departing Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, including trim runaway and stall warnings; the aircraft returned safely to the airport.
- On June 4, 2022, an American Eagle E175 aborted its takeoff from Indianapolis due to the detection of smoke odor; passengers were evacuated on the taxiway with no reported injuries.
- On June 29, 2025, a catering vehicle collided with a stationary Republic E175 at Boston Logan International Airport causing damage to the aircraft’s underbelly; the plane was empty and the driver suffered minor injuries.
See also
- Air transportation in the United States
- Regional airline
- American Eagle (airline brand)
- United Express
- Delta Connection
- Delta Shuttle
External links
- Articles with short description
- Republic Airways
- Regional airlines of the United States
- Regional Airline Association members
- Companies based in Indianapolis
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016
- Airlines established in 1973
- Airlines based in Indiana
- American companies established in 1973
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
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