Mesa Air Group will take a controlling stake in Republic Airways subsidiary Mokulele Airlines under the terms of a deal signed yesterday that will see three Republic/Shuttle America Embraer E170s exit the Mokulele fleet next month in favor of Bombardier CRJs flown by Mesa’s Hawaiian subsidiary, Go!. Under the terms of the contract, Mesa will take a 75-percent interest in the joint venture and Republic a 25-percent share. Current Mokulele shareholders must also fund $1.5 million to capitalize the joint venture, while Republic forgives Mokulele’s $3.1 million outstanding debt to Republic.
“During this period of economic stress within our industry, it is especially important to closely match capacity with demand, and this arrangement allows Mokulele to right-size the aircraft within its network,” said Bryan Bedford, chairman, president and CEO of Republic Airways Holdings. “Meanwhile, the agreement allows Republic Airways to reallocate its E170 aircraft within its branded airline operations, where they will be able to contribute to our network rebuilding efforts.”
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