Berjaya Air takes delivery of world’s first all-business class ATR 72-600, 26 seats

Quick summary

Berjaya Air has taken delivery of the world’s first ATR 72-600 fitted with ATR‘s HighLine all-business-class cabin — a 26-seat, 1-1 configuration certified by both EASA and Malaysian aviation authorities in May 2026. Every seat gets direct aisle access and a window view. The aircraft is based at Subang Airport (SZB) near Kuala Lumpur, with inaugural scheduled service planned for the Subang–Koh Samui (USM) route, plus regional expansion across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

A formal schedule with flight numbers has not yet been published — bookings are not confirmed open. A second aircraft in the same configuration arrives in Q3 2026.

The world’s first all-business-class turboprop has landed in Asia-Pacific, and it seats just 26 people.

Berjaya Air accepted delivery of its inaugural ATR 72-600 in the HighLine all-business configuration this month, with the aircraft touching down in Kuala Lumpur following dual certification from EASA and Malaysia’s civil aviation authority. The airline plans to open the Subang (SZB)–Koh Samui (USM) route as the launch service, with a network that will eventually reach resort destinations across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Charter operations across Asia-Pacific are also planned from the outset.

Nothing quite like this exists in Asia-Pacific regional aviation. Comparable premium configurations in the region have appeared on narrowbody and widebody jets — think Singapore Airlines‘ premium-focused regional setups — but an all-business turboprop is genuinely new territory here. With only 26 seats per flight, capacity constraints will be real from day one.

A second factory-new ATR 72-600 in the identical HighLine configuration is scheduled for delivery in Q3 2026. Air Tahiti has also selected the HighLine all-business cabin for premium inter-island services in French Polynesia, making Berjaya the launch customer for what ATR intends as a multi-operator premium product line.

What the cabin actually delivers

The HighLine interior removes overhead bins entirely — a decision that sounds minor until you’re inside. In their place, an executive-style ceiling with sleek valence panels opens up the cabin volume and pulls in natural light from multiple windows. Integrated stowage sits within each seat’s personal side console, keeping carry-on items accessible without the visual clutter of a conventional turboprop interior.

The Geven ETEREA seats are described as the widest ever installed on an ATR platform. Every one of the 26 seats sits in a 1-1 layout, meaning no middle seat, no neighbor on either side, and a direct view to the outside. Specific pitch and recline figures, in-flight entertainment, and Wi-Fi availability have not yet been disclosed by the airline or manufacturer.

Regulatory filings show that EASA and the Malaysian authorities granted certification earlier in May 2026, confirming the 26-seat layout, new ceiling structure, and Geven seating meet evacuation, structural, and fire-safety requirements for commercial operations. The full delivery details, including cabin specifications and route plans, have been confirmed by the airline.

For travelers planning access, the most practical path from North America, Europe, or Australia is a long-haul ticket into Kuala Lumpur or Singapore on a separate booking, then a Berjaya Air sector from Subang. The airline does not belong to any global alliance, so through-ticketing with major carriers is not available. More on flights from North America to Malaysia for positioning options.

For a closer look at the aircraft and seat layout, the Berjaya Air ATR 72-600 HighLine aircraft profile covers the 1-1 configuration and what early service will look like.

Why this matters beyond one small airline’s new plane

Getting a novel cabin configuration onto a certified aircraft is not a quick process. ATR worked with interior supplier Geven and Berjaya Air to develop the HighLine layout from scratch — structural analysis, emergency-evacuation demonstrations, materials testing — before submitting the full data package to EASA and Malaysian regulators. The commercial logic is straightforward: airlines want higher-yield passengers on short regional hops, and manufacturers gain a modular premium product they can sell to multiple customers. Air Tahiti‘s selection of the same cabin confirms ATR is treating HighLine as a product line, not a one-off.

There is no direct precedent for this in Asia-Pacific. All-business configurations in the region have historically required narrowbody or widebody jets. Putting that product on a turboprop — the workhorse of island-hopping and resort connectivity — is a structural shift in what premium regional travel can look like. Whether it becomes a template others follow depends largely on how Berjaya fills those 26 seats at launch.

For Australian travelers in particular, Koh Samui has historically required a connection through Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur regardless of carrier. A premium turboprop sector from Subang adds a genuinely different option for the final leg — assuming Berjaya’s pricing lands at a level that makes the positioning trip worthwhile.

How to position yourself for the launch

No formal schedule with flight numbers or confirmed booking dates has been published yet — the aircraft is certified and delivered, but the commercial launch is still pending announcement from Berjaya Air.

• Watch Berjaya Air’s official channels for the Subang (SZB)–Koh Samui (USM) schedule announcement, expected in the coming days. Flight numbers and first-operating date will confirm when bookings open.
• Book long-haul positioning flights separately. Berjaya Air is not alliance-affiliated, so through-ticketing is not available. Lock in your Kuala Lumpur or Singapore arrival before the turboprop schedule goes live — demand for the launch window will be immediate given 26-seat capacity.
• Check major booking engines alongside Berjaya’s own site. Distribution for a small Malaysian carrier can be uneven at launch; searching both channels improves your odds of seeing availability.
• Monitor Air Tahiti’s announcements at airtahiti.pf if French Polynesia is your target — the HighLine all-business cabin will appear there next, on inter-island routes where seat counts will be equally tight.
• Set a budget ceiling before pricing is published. With only two aircraft in this configuration globally through the end of 2026, fares on launch routes are unlikely to be discounted heavily at the outset.

Watch: Berjaya Air’s formal route announcement with flight numbers and first-operating date — expected imminently — will be the trigger for bookings. If the announcement is delayed beyond early Q3 2026, expect the initial deployment to shift toward charter-only use rather than scheduled service.

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