Republic moves to dump lease agreements

Republic Airways Holdings is seeking to extricate from lease agreements for 29 of its airplanes and two facilities as it aims to move away from 50-seat-or-less regional jets in favor of larger aircraft. “An integral step in Republic’s restructuring is its plan to streamline its operations by operating a single aircraft type (E170/175) by returning out-of-favor aircraft, like the ERJ 140/145 aircraft,” the company said in court documents filed Tuesday. The airline wants to reject its leases with GE Capital Aviation Services for 28 Embraer regional jets and nine spare engines. All of the regional jets are either ERJ 140s