Republic purchased those jets when they thought they were going to be their own branded airline via Frontier and Midwest. They also had a backup that the majors would make big scope gains and they would fly them for UAL, USAIR or Delta. All the so called industry experts stated it was a slam dunk the feeder airlines would be getting those jets. Funny now those same experts say the regional industry is dying and large numbers of feeder airlines will end up in bankruptcy.
The RAH CEO has now written a huge check and he can't cover it. His latest statements are basically a last gasp at trying to save himself from a bad situation. I would bet money not one C series jet is delivered to RAH. The penalties will be huge. It would not surprise me to see RAH file chapter 11 to break the contract.