Republic Airlines (1979-1986)
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- This article is about the Republic Airlines that was founded in 1979, and purchased by Northwest Airlines. For the Republic Airlines that is currently operating, see Republic Airlines.
Republic Airlines (IATA: RC, ICAO: REP, and Callsign: Republic) was an airline formed on 1 July 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways.
[edit] History
In 1980, following its buyout of Hughes Airwest, Republic became the largest airline in the United States by destinations served. On January 23, 1986, Northwest Airlines, flying since 1947 under the name Northwest Orient, announced that it would purchase Republic for $884 million; the merger was completed on October 1. Republic operated hubs in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Detroit, and Memphis: these airports are now the backbone of Northwest's domestic route network. On the day of the merger, Northwest dropped the "Northwest Orient" brand name and returned to its pre-1947 name, Northwest Airlines.
Despite Northwest's ongoing efforts to remove all remaining presence of any Republic-branded imagery, as of 2005 it is still possible to find a few old Republic logos around Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and Memphis International Airport if one looks hard enough. (The logos can no longer be seen at Detroit Metropolitan Airport because Northwest's old terminal there has been demolished.)
