The world's first ATR 72-600 configured with an all-business-class cabin has been delivered to Malaysia's premium boutique carrier Berjaya Air, marking a landmark moment for both the European turboprop manufacturer and the resort-focused operator. The aircraft, finished in Berjaya Air's debut livery, touched down in Kuala Lumpur as the launch platform for ATR's new HighLine premium cabin program and is configured with 26 seats arranged in a 1-1 layout — meaning every guest receives direct aisle access and a guaranteed window view.
Berjaya Air, part of the broader Berjaya hospitality group, is positioning the aircraft as the cornerstone of a regional luxury network serving high-yield leisure traffic between major Southeast Asian gateways and the group's portfolio of resorts. The carrier confirmed its inaugural commercial route will connect Subang to Koh Samui in Thailand, with onward expansion planned across Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia in the coming weeks.
Reinventing The Regional Turboprop
For decades the ATR 72 family has been the workhorse of regional aviation, typically configured with 70 to 78 dense economy seats. The HighLine variant flips that model entirely. With only 26 seats, cabin density is roughly a third of standard configurations, freeing up generous seat pitch, full-width consoles between paired travelers, and a quieter ambient cabin thanks to lower passenger loads. ATR sees the configuration opening new commercial ground for the 72-600 in corporate shuttle, resort connector, and oil-and-gas charter markets.
The European manufacturer has been searching for ways to broaden the appeal of its best-selling regional aircraft as airlines push back against rising operating costs and shrinking secondary-airport demand. A premium-only product gives operators a clear differentiator in markets where small-aircraft travel has historically been associated with low-cost regional feeders.
What Comes Next For Berjaya
The all-business-class concept is rare in short-haul aviation, with most past attempts on jet aircraft failing to find sustainable load factors. Berjaya Air's bet is that resort traffic — where the airline can sell connected hotel-and-flight packages through its parent group's properties — will deliver more reliable yields than a traditional point-to-point business-class operation.
The carrier plans to roll out additional ATR 72-600 HighLine deliveries in the coming year. Industry analysts will be watching closely to see whether the HighLine product becomes a niche regional success story or simply a luxurious one-off in the turboprop segment.
Compiled from publicly available aviation news sources. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. This article is original editorial content; facts have been verified across multiple public sources.
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