ATR Reveals Details Of Its 1st All Business Class 72-600

Today, ATR revealed some new details about its all-business class cabin, which is set to debut with Berjaya Air late next year. Last year,

ATR

revealed five new premium cabin options, including the “all business class” layout that Berjaya Air will use to operate.

Berjaya Air

is part of the Malaysian Berjaya Corporation. Its primary aim is to ferry guests to the group’s hotels and resorts. According to aviation data experts Cirium, it currently operates a single 23-year-old ATR-72 and a 14-year-old Bombardier Global 5000. It also has an ATR-42 listed as in storage.

The 1st HighLine all-business class ATR

ATR has revealed that it is on track to deliver the first HighLine all-business class ATR-72 in late 2025. The aircraft will be technically delivered in mid-2025, albeit with an empty cabin.

The all business class cabin will be installed as an STC or Supplementary Type Certificate. The FAA’s definition of an STC is,

“A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aeronautical product from its original design. The STC, which incorporates by reference the related TC, approves not only the modification but also how that modification affects the original design.”

Photo: ATR

Once the aircraft has been delivered empty, ATR will ferry it to UUDS, a French MRO provider, who will install the new cabin. ATR told Simple Flying that the cabin needs to be installed on the aircraft before it is certified. This means the aircraft likely won’t be delivered to Berjaya until late 2025, with the second aircraft due to follow a couple of months later in early 2026.

Related

ATR Bags Orders For 22 Aircraft Including All-Business Class Variant At Paris Air Show

The turboprop manufacturer revealed new sales and a new configuration for its 72-600.

What to expect from the aircraft

Ahead of today’s announcement, ATR gave Simple Flying a sneak peek at what to expect from the 1st business class variant of its ATR 72-600 cabin. These aircraft typically have a 2-2 seating configuration, though the all-business variant will have 1-1 seating.

According to ATR, these seats will be the new ETEREA seat being developed by Geven. This seat will be exclusive to ATR and is designed to slot straight into existing seat rails onboard the aircraft. You can see a preview of what the cabin will look like in the video below:

Naturally, being a 1-1 configuration, every passenger will have direct aisle access in addition to 2-3 windows. However, the passengers won’t have any overhead bins. ATR says that because there are significantly fewer seats, it is possible to store one large cabin suitcase per person under the seat in front.

Naturally, being a premium product, the seats are billed to provide plenty of space. The ETEREA seat is 21.6 inches (54.86cm) wide and has seven inches (17.78cm)of recline. This is in addition to generous legroom. Finally, every seat will offer both USB-A and -C power and a personal device holder.

Why fly an all-business ATR?

Now, you may wonder what the business case for an all-business class ATR would be. In the case of Berjaya, the airline is looking to provide a premium experience for guests flying to its resorts from Kuala Lumpur.

The manufacturer said that the ATR is as wide as the widest private jets but has 45% fewer emissions than a comparable jet aircraft. Of course, the trade-off between a jet aircraft and a turboprop is the speed of the aircraft. However, ATR revealed that for an hour-long flight with a jet, the ATR would only take around 10 minutes longer, making it a solid choice for reducing emissions.

Photo: ATR

ATR believes that this configuration is particularly well suited to corporate clients and US Part 135 operators who are limited to 30 seats in their aircraft. As the solution will be retrofittable to all -500 and -600 ATRs, it also means that buying a brand-new aircraft is not necessary.

Commenting on the design, Zuzana Hrnkova, ATR’s Vice-President Marketing, remarked,

“This new luxury shuttle configuration will redefine corporate and semi-private travels with an elevated guest experience without compromising on sustainability. The ATR HighLine cabin collection is designed to offer unparalleled comfort, luxury and convenience whilst benefitting from the remarkable fuel efficiency of the turboprop technology”

5 HighLine cabin designs

At last year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, ATR revealed its lineup of five premium “HighLine” cabin designs. These were,

• HighLine Multi-Class is a 50-seat cabin with three abreast at the front and four abreast at the back, offering a two-class option.
• HighLine Premium Flex is a four-abreast smart seating product in which individual aisle seats can be converted into tables, creating a premium window seat.
• HighLine Multi-Section is a cabin with a VIP area at the front separated from a standard economy cabin at the back.
• HighLine bespoke VIP: designed to bring the private jet feel to the ATR.
• HighLine all-business class.

Photo: ATR

Speaking about the different options, ATR revealed that the Multi-Section cabin is already in service with an undisclosed military customer. The Premium Flex cabin is still in the design phase but is attracting much interest. ATR feels it is particularly well suited to the European regional market.

Meanwhile, the Multi-Class cabin is primarily being targeted as a replacement for smaller aging aircraft with a first class cabin used by US Part 121 operators.

What do you make of ATR’s all-business cabin? Let us know what you think and why in the comments section!