Air travel could soon be as easy as boarding a bus. It may no longer be limited to big cities but become accessible to everyone, everywhere. A new aviation startup, LAT Aerospace, is aiming to bring this vision to life in India. The company is backed by Zomato’s co-founder and CEO, Deepinder Goyal.
LAT Aerospace’s co-founder, Surabhi Das, who earlier served as Chief Operating Officer at Zomato, announced Deepinder Goyal’s investment in a LinkedIn post. According to reports, the startup has raised around 50 million dollars (approximately ₹417 crore), out of which 20 million dollars (around ₹167 crore) were invested by Goyal himself.
The startup’s mission is to make flying simple and affordable, especially in smaller cities and towns. It aims to connect tier 2 and tier 3 cities with frequent and low-cost flights. In her post, Surabhi mentioned how, during her time at Zomato, she wondered why regional air travel in India was still expensive, limited, and complicated.
The company plans to build small aircraft with 12 to 24 seats that can take off and land from very short runways. These short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft will operate from mini air-stops, about the size of parking lots, located near residential areas. There will be no long queues, no security lines, and no baggage belts. People will just walk in and fly. The aircraft will have a range of up to 1500 kilometers, designed to meet India’s unique travel needs.
India has more than 450 airstrips, but only 150 are used for commercial flights. That means a large part of the country’s aviation capacity remains untapped. On the other hand, many people in smaller cities still travel long distances by road or train due to the lack of affordable flight options. LAT Aerospace wants to change that.
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The company has started expanding its team and is hiring aerospace engineers, system designers, and aviation enthusiasts. Surabhi invited interested candidates to apply by email in her LinkedIn post.
However, the road ahead won’t be easy. LAT Aerospace will need to overcome regulatory hurdles, technical challenges, and win public trust. Recent air safety incidents, such as the Air India Boeing 787 crash, have raised concerns about aviation safety in India. The company will need to follow strict safety norms and ensure smooth operations.
Experts have shared mixed opinions. Aviation consultant Sanjay Lazar believes the Indian aviation market is growing fast and if LAT Aerospace manages to bring affordable small aircraft, especially using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology, it could change regional air travel. He expects more than 100 eVTOL aircraft could be flying in India in the next five years, which would also reduce costs.
On the other hand, aviation expert Parvez Damania remains cautious. He says the ultra-low-cost airline model has not worked well in India because fuel, aircraft leasing, maintenance, and spare parts are all paid in dollars. Also, small aircraft pilots earn similar salaries to large aircraft pilots, which makes it hard to reduce costs. He feels regional aviation has potential, but it needs government support and special policies.
Today, airlines like IndiGo connect over 500 cities, including many smaller towns. Still, only one out of every ten Indians has ever flown. Investor Kushal Bhagia believes that with the right technology like eVTOL, a startup could reduce air travel costs by 50 to 80 percent. This could enable around 500 million Indians to experience flying, which presents a massive opportunity.