This article needs references that appear in reliable third-party publications. Primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please add more appropriate citations from reliable sources. (December 2008)

Republic Airlines

IATA RC ICAO REP Callsign Republic
Founded	July 1, 1979
Ceased operations	1986
Hubs	Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Memphis International Airport Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Focus cities	Milwaukee
Frequent flyer program	Perks Program
Fleet size	171
Destinations
Company slogan	Nobody Serves Our Republic Like Republic
Headquarters	Minneapolis/St. Paul
Key people

Republic Airlines (IATA: RC, ICAO: REP, Callsign: Republic) was an airline formed on July 1, 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines, Southern Airways, and Hughes Airwest.

[edit] History

Republic Airlines came to being in 1979 with the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways. The new airline's headquarters was at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport though its largest and main hub was at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. At the time of its formation, Republic was the sixth largest airline in the United States. In 1980, following its buyout of Hughes Airwest, Republic became the largest airline in the United States by destinations served. The route network was served with the world's largest Douglas DC-9 fleet and also Boeing 727s.^[1]

On January 23, 1986, Northwest Orient Airlines announced that it would purchase Republic for $884 million in response to United Airlines' purchase of the Pacific routes of Pan American World Airways and in order to provide the domestic feed it required to compete effectively. The merger was completed on October 1, 1986 with Northwest dropping the word Orient from its brand name after the merger. Republic operated hubs at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Memphis International Airport, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. These airports are now the backbone of Northwest's domestic route network.

Despite Northwest's ongoing efforts to remove all remaining presence of any Republic-branded imagery, as of 2007, it is still possible to find a few old Republic logos around Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and Memphis International Airport. The logos can no longer be seen at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport because Northwest's old terminal has been demolished. Northwest was subsequently purchased by Delta Air Lines, with Delta to be the surviving brand.

[edit] Historical fleet

• 133 - Douglas DC-9-14; Douglas DC-9-15; Douglas DC-9-31; Douglas DC-9-32; Douglas DC-9-51
• 22 - Boeing 727-025; Boeing 727-2M7; Boeing 727-2S7; Boeing 727-277
• 8 - McDonnell Douglas MD-82
• 6 - Boeing 757-2S7
• 2 - Convair CV-580

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Fleet and code information
• Fleet information
• Republic Airlines historical artifacts - inventory list of items stored at the Minnesota Historical Society