French Polynesia is about to get an unusually pampering way to hop between islands. Air Tahiti, the regional carrier that runs the country's turboprop network, has taken delivery of an ATR 72-600 configured entirely for business class — a first for the airline, whose other ATRs seat 70 economy passengers in a 2-2 layout.
The new plane carries just 26 seats across 13 rows in a 1-1 configuration, part of ATR's premium HighLine cabin range. Each seat, designed by Geven, gets 39 inches of pitch, 21.6 inches of width, a generous 7-inch recline, a side console, dedicated storage, USB-A and USB-C ports, and streaming entertainment. Given the flight times, though, the real in-flight entertainment is the lagoon-strewn view out the window.
The service is branded "Air Tahiti Signature," and the premium treatment starts on the ground: priority, personalised handling plus dedicated lounges at Tahiti and Bora Bora. Onboard, expect refreshments built around local island flavours.
The plane will fly select frequencies between Papeete and Bora Bora, and Papeete and Raiatea — hops of 135 to 160 miles blocked at roughly an hour. Tickets are on sale for travel from November 11, 2026, with one-way fares starting just under $500. That sounds steep for 40-odd minutes in the air, but context matters: standard economy on these routes already runs $220 or more thanks to the lack of competition, so the jump to Signature is less extreme than it first appears. With one special aircraft in the fleet, expect Signature seats on only a handful of departures each day.
The delivery itself was an odyssey — a six-day, eight-leg ferry flight from France to French Polynesia under registration F-OPFO.
Why should a traveller care? If you're flying into Bora Bora's resorts, the last hour can be the scruffiest part of an otherwise lavish trip. This fixes that: a proper lounge before boarding, a roomy solo seat, and a smooth landing. It's aimed squarely at honeymooners and luxury resort guests, and it turns a functional transfer into part of the holiday. The catch is scheduling — most people will still pick whichever departure fits, not wait hours for the fancy plane. But if your timing lines up, it's one of the more charming premium products anywhere in the Pacific.
