James Briggs

james.briggs@indystar.com

By now, you've almost certainly seen the horrifying images of a passenger being dragged off a United Airlines flight Sunday, causing injuries that left blood streaming down his face.

What you probably don't know is that David Dao wasn't actually removed from a United plane. The incident occurred on a plane operated and staffed by Republic Airways.

Indianapolis-based Republic is a regional airline that contracts with major companies to service many shorter, lesser-traveled routes. Regional airlines, whose planes usually have 76 or fewer seats, service half of the commercial flights in the U.S., usually under the flag of companies such as United or American Airlines.

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United pilots are fed up with taking the heat over an incident that occurred on a Republic plane. The pilots union on Thursday issued a statement saying that United pilots are "infuriated by this event."

"This occurred on one of our contracted Express carriers, separately owned and operated by Republic (Airways), and was ultimately caused by the grossly inappropriate response by the Chicago Department of Aviation," the pilots union said in a statement.

The union adds that no United staff members were part of the confrontation and "social media ire should properly be directed at the Chicago Aviation Department," the law enforcement agency responsible for what became a physical altercation.

Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republic has had its own problems. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2016 after years of struggling to retain enough pilots to fulfill its commitments to larger airlines. Republic is hoping to exit bankruptcy soon with a fleet of 168 planes.

While United pilots aren't blaming Republic for the Sunday incident that prompted a belated apology from United CEO Oscar Munoz, they want you to know that it wasn't exactly their fault.

"Ultimately, United must be measured by more than this one incident on a single United Express flight; this airline is comprised of more than 82,000 employees, including over 12,500 pilots, working every day to safely fly around the globe," the United pilots union said.

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Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at (317) 444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.