Air Tahiti has taken delivery of an ATR 72-600 regional turboprop configured with an all-business-class cabin for just 26 passengers, compared with around 70 seats typically installed on the aircraft.
The new aircraft is part of ATR’s HighLine family of premium cabin configurations and will operate under the Air Tahiti Signature brand. Commercial service is scheduled to begin in December, primarily connecting Tahiti with Bora Bora and Raiatea-Tahaa.
Instead of the ATR 72’s conventional 2-2 seating arrangement, the aircraft has two individual seats per row in a 1-1 layout, leaving every passenger with direct access to the aisle.
The ETEREA seats, supplied by Italian manufacturer Geven, are 21.6 inches (55 cm) wide and installed at a 39-inch (99 cm) pitch. They offer 7 inches (18 cm) of recline and include USB-A and USB-C charging ports.
Executive-style ATR
The reduced seat count allowed Air Tahiti and ATR to create a cabin closer to that of a business aircraft than a conventional regional airliner.
Overhead baggage bins have been removed, giving the cabin a more open ceiling. Storage is instead provided through dedicated spaces, while the interior uses finishes and lighting developed for ATR’s HighLine premium configurations.
Despite the substantial reduction in passenger capacity, the aircraft retains the basic ATR 72-600 platform, allowing Air Tahiti to use a type already central to its operations across French Polynesia.
Air Tahiti ATR 72-600 | ATR 
Air Tahiti ATR 72-600 | ATR 
Air Tahiti ATR 72-600 | ATR
Air Tahiti announced its selection of the 26-seat configuration at the Paris Air Show in June 2025. The airline plans to use the aircraft for scheduled premium services as well as charter flights.
Its first commercial services are planned for December 8, 2026.
Premium flights between islands
The unusual configuration is aimed at the high-end tourism market in French Polynesia, where short domestic flights connect Tahiti with destinations that include luxury resorts in Bora Bora and other islands.
Air Tahiti Signature will initially serve Bora Bora and Raiatea-Tahaa from Tahiti, offering a dedicated premium product rather than a business-class section within a conventional ATR cabin.
The French Polynesian carrier is not the first operator to adopt an all-premium ATR 72-600. Malaysia’s Berjaya Air received a HighLine aircraft earlier in 2026 with a similarly low-density cabin for premium leisure services.
ATR created the HighLine collection to extend the ATR 72 beyond conventional high-density regional operations. Its proposed layouts range from premium commercial cabins to configurations aimed at corporate and private aviation customers.
