Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific, has taken delivery of the first ATR 72-600 High Capacity. Configured with 78 seats, this new option of the ATR 72 has ten additional seats compared to the standard configuration (68 seats). The aircraft was delivered on 22nd September.

Cebu Pacific will progressively replace its current fleet of eight ATR 72-500s – which are configured with 72 seats – with a fleet of 16 new ATR 72-600s, with 78 seats. The airline has signed for 16 ATR 72-600 plus options for 10 additional aircraft which will be operated by Cebgo, its wholly owned subsidiary. Deliveries of the ATR 72-600s will be completed in 2020.

ATR obtained certification for the 78-seat configuration of the ATR 72 from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in December 2015. Based on the existing cabin platform, ATR added an additional row of four seats by optimizing the pitch and replacing the galley compartment with a new aft foldable galley. This enables airlines to choose between full cargo capacity or a combination of cargo capacity and galley space. The 78-seat option is also available as a retrofit.