Air Tahiti Receives Its First ATR Aircraft With Business Class


Air Tahiti reçoit un premier ATR classe affaires - Photo ATR

CroisiEurope


Air Tahiti announces the arrival in Tahiti of its first aircraft fully configured in Business Class, named ĀNAPANAPA, and marketed under the name Air Tahiti Signature.

After six days of ferry flight from Toulouse-Francazal, this new ATR 72-600 touched down at Tahiti-Faa’a airport on Monday, October 19, 2026 at 14:00 local time in Papeete.

“ Its arrival marks the start of a new chapter for the airline, which aims to offer a more exclusive, personalized inter-island travel experience that is ever more attentive to passenger comfort, ” states the company in a press release.

Departing Toulouse-Francazal on October 13, the newly configured ATR 72-600 in Business Class crossed three continents and made seven technical stops: in Cairo, Muscat, Hyderabad, Subang, Lombok, Cairns and Nadi, before joining Tahiti-Faa’a airport on October 19 at 14:00 local time.


The first commercial flights of Air Tahiti Signature are scheduled to begin on December 8, 2026

From November 10 to December 7, 2026, Air Tahiti Signature will enter a soft opening phase, dedicated exclusively to tourism professionals. During this period, travel agencies and tour operators will be invited to discover and test this new product.

The first commercial flights of Air Tahiti Signature are planned to begin on December 8, 2026, on the Bora Bora and Raiatea-Taha’a routes.

Air Tahiti Signature offers an end-to-end experience, with a priority ground process, access to dedicated lounges and a shuttle to the aircraft.

On board the ATR 72-600, the cabin configured 1-1 provides an individual seat for each passenger, with direct access to the aisle. Personalized services, refreshments and multimedia contents complete the service, extended on arrival by dedicated assistance and careful handling of luggage.


Group Travel: ATR Launches Tool to Evaluate Responsible Offers




ATR launched in September a scoring system for analyzing offers aimed at organizers of group travel.

This tool complements the practical guide published in April 2026 following a survey conducted between June and December 2025 among 148 organizations, mainly CSE and COS.

It is designed to provide a common base for evaluating the proposals received and progressively integrate responsible criteria into tenders.

The scoring rests on five pillars: environmental impact, human impact, carbon footprint, responsible communication, as well as inclusivity and accessibility.


A Tool to Aid Comparison


ATR complète son guide dédié aux voyages de groupe avec un outil de scoring pour comparer les offres selon différents critères responsables - Photo : ATR

The criteria notably take into account respect for ecosystems, the program’s local anchoring, transport choices, the quality of experiences, carbon transparency, the fight against greenwashing, and accessibility.

ATR specifies that the objective is not to achieve a perfect score, but to provide a benchmark to identify strengths and areas for improvement of the various proposals.

The tool should also enable organizers to question tour operators and service providers about their practices and commitments.

The guide furthermore recommends integrating social and environmental criteria from the bids and terms of reference, notably by prioritizing, when possible, trains and public transport, accommodations that are committed and locally rooted, or activities that respect the environment and local communities.