Franco-Italian regional aircraft manufacturer ATR has unveiled advanced designs for all business class interiors to be offered on its ATR72 series of aircraft. Known as ‘ATR HighLine’, the interiors are due to feature on a pair of ATR72-600s ordered by Malaysian carrier Berjaya Air to fly passengers to the organization’s numerous luxury hotels and resorts from mid-2025.
Revealed at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 being held in Hamburg between May 28 and May 30, 2024, the latest designs come a year after ATR announced the launch of its initial HighLine collection. Launched in 2023, ATR’s HighLine collection features five unique interior concepts for ATR72s that range from VIP transport to all-business-class to traditional multi-class configurations.
With a unique 1-1 layout across the passenger cabin, the all-business-class interior features spacious individual business seats with direct window and aisle access, offering “exceptional personal space and privacy”, according to the company.
“The new tailor-made seats (named ‘ETEREA’) have been designed and crafted by [boutique aircraft interiors designer] Geven and provide ample legroom and recline, along with a generous width of 21.6 inches,” said the company in a statement accompanying the launch of the latest designs.
“Each seat has a personal side console that serves both as a table and stowage compartment – amenities made possible by the ATR’s wider cross-section, providing a level of comfort and convenience not available in narrower regional jets currently in service,” the statement continues.
“The ETEREA business seat has been designed specifically for ATR by Geven,” said Zuzana Hrnkova, ATR’s Vice-President of Marketing. “It will fit ATR’s standard seat rails for simplified aircraft customization and retrofit. Passengers will experience a truly elevated journey from take-off to touchdown, bringing regional aviation to new heights.”
“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” added Hrnkova.
The all-business class offers several options to airlines and passengers, including an ‘executive ceiling’ through the removal of overhead bins, USB A+C charging ports, in-flight entertainment, high-speed internet access, and high-quality material finishes.
It is understood that ATR HighLine’s launch customer Berjaya Air will introduce its two customized ATR 72-600 sometime in 2025. The modification of Berjaya Air’s aircraft will be executed through a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC).
”The principle of it is ATR could deliver a green aircraft, an aircraft with no seats, and then the aircraft will be sent to an MRO based in France that will apply the cabin and then be delivered to Berjaya,” said Louis Barral, ATR Business Development manager form high-end markets, speaking with FlightGlobal.
”The idea is to freeze the design by the end of this year. The green aircraft will be delivered in mid-2025, then the STC will be applied, and then the idea is for the second half of 2025 to have the aircraft flying. We are on track, on time, and from the concept to the advanced design, we see a lot of progress, which is very promising for the rest of the project,” he added
”It will be the very first ATR aircraft with the HighLine brand on it. We think it is going to change the way we fly regionally for different market profiles, commercial airlines but as well extending to more business operators,” Barral concludes.