Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal enters aviation space with LAT Aerospace to revolutionise air travel in India
Mumbai: In a move that signals a bold leap beyond food delivery, Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal is venturing into the aviation sector with a new startup—LAT Aerospace—which aims to transform regional air travel in India., media reports said.
The company promises to make flying as accessible as catching a bus, particularly for travellers from underserved Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
LAT Aerospace, co-founded by Surobhi Das, a former Zomato executive, is on a mission to redesign short-haul air travel with affordability, accessibility and high frequency at its core.
“Ever wished your next bus ride could just… take off? We did too,” Das wrote in a LinkedIn post, revealing the vision that sparked the startup.
The idea took shape during the duo’s frequent travels across India while building Zomato, where they consistently encountered the challenges of costly, infrequent, and inaccessible regional flights.
The solution, they believe, lies in a complete rethinking of India’s underused aviation infrastructure.
India currently has over 450 airstrips, but only about 150 are operational for commercial use.
LAT Aerospace aims to unlock this latent potential by operating from compact “air-stops”, akin to mini terminals no larger than a parking lot, located closer to where people live and work. “No chaos. No security lines. Just walk in and fly,” Das wrote, describing the service as “buses in the sky”.
According to a CNBC-TV18 report, the startup has raised $50 million in funding, with $20 million coming from Goyal, who now serves as the Non-Executive Founder of LAT Aerospace.
The remaining funds were reportedly raised from undisclosed investors.
The startup is now ramping up hiring, inviting aerospace engineers, systems designers, and aviation enthusiasts to join its mission to reimagine regional mobility.
As LAT Aerospace readies for takeoff, the industry is watching closely to see whether Goyal’s latest bet can rewrite the rules of regional aviation in India—and make flying truly democratic.
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