HAMBURG — Regional turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR has unveiled the latest development in its range of cabin options for its Highline brand, announcing that it has signed a deal with seat manufacturer Geven to implement an all-business class seating model, with its first customer, Berjaya Air, due to take delivery next year.
ATR will launch its HighLine series for the first time in 2023, touting five different concepts for the ATR 72, ranging from VIP transport to traditional multi-class configurations.
This year, the aircraft manufacturer has placed a particular emphasis on its all-business-class option, revealing how the product has evolved during a press conference just before the opening of the Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo. Designed to provide luxurious transportation for up to 30 passengers, the option aligns well with U.S. Part 135 operations.
ATR uses Geven's ETEREA model, which is 21.6 inches wide, as its baseline platform. Each seat has a side console between the seat and the window that can be used as both a table and storage for small items, and there's a larger storage space under the seats forward.
The cabin will also feature additional features such as “executive ceilings” (removing overhead bins), USB-A and USB-C charging ports, in-flight entertainment, high-speed internet access and what ATR describes as “high-quality material finishes.”
Given the fact that additional console storage is provided and under-seat storage is also certified, we assume the bins will be removed.
RGN spoke to ATR's Business Development Manager, Louis Barral, ahead of AIX, who highlighted ATR's focus on niche markets that fit the unique short-range mission profile of ATR turboprop aircraft.
“The vision for ATR with its Highline Cabin is not to replace larger business jets that can do missions that we can't do. For example, if there's a one-hour mission to fly an executive from one location to another or a sports team from one location to another, we think ATR makes sense for that particular mission.”
This also applies to premium leisure travellers, with ATR's Highline's first dedicated business customer, Berjaya Air, set to deploy two customised ATR 72-600s to serve the group's hotels across Malaysia. From 2025. Island hopping is familiar territory for ATR, and the company hopes to sell to similar airlines in the Indian and Pacific Oceans in future.
ATR is also pursuing ambitions to replace regional jets in markets such as the US with a separate, multi-class, high-line cabin concept, which could garner more interest, but the idea is still in the concept stage: ATR needs to firm up the design, which could include adding a new front door that's compatible with a jet bridge.
Returning to the all-business-class cabin, ATR advertises the ETEREA seat as “exclusive to ATR” in its media materials, but seat manufacturer Geven told RGN that “this separate application for ATR was granted via a certification scheme and is not the result of an exclusivity agreement.”
An ATR media representative told RGN, “As Mr. Gebben confirmed, we do not have any contractual exclusivity for the ETEREA seat as the design of the seat itself is exclusive to ATR. ETEREA is designed to fit only on ATR aircraft and fits onto our standard seat rails.”
TThe company confirmed that the seat is custom-made to fit its seat tracks and that it is free to adapt the design to other aircraft in the future. The product is still in development, with a full-scale mockup due to be unveiled in the fall.
Additional reporting by Associate Editor John Walton.
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