In a country where trains and buses remain the primary mode of intercity travel for millions, a bold new startup is aiming to reimagine regional connectivity—this time, through the skies. LAT Aerospace, co-founded by former Zomato COO Surobhi Das and backed by Zomato’s founder Deepinder Goyal, is building what it calls “buses in the sky.”
The startup, launched in early 2025, has already created waves in the Indian startup ecosystem, not just because of its high-profile leadership, but also because of its ambitious vision: to bring affordable, frequent air travel to India’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities using short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft.
A Problem Worth Solving
India has over 450 unused or underutilized airstrips, but only around 150 are operational for commercial flights. Smaller cities, towns, and remote regions still rely on overnight trains or long-haul bus rides for essential mobility. LAT Aerospace aims to change that by launching small, agile aircraft with 12–24 seats that can take off and land with minimal runway requirements—making it possible to connect even the remotest corners of the country.
“We’re not building luxury air taxis,” says Surobhi Das. “We’re building the next-generation mass transit system for Bharat—just from the sky.”
The LAT Difference
Unlike traditional aviation startups focused on high-end air mobility or charter services, LAT is infrastructure-conscious and affordability-first. By leveraging STOL aircraft, LAT can serve low-footprint air terminals—think parking-lot-sized strips—reducing both construction costs and operational friction.
Their model includes:
- High-frequency short-haul flights
- Fast boarding and turnaround
- Target pricing comparable to AC train fares
- Operations tailored to smaller cities like Indore, Ranchi, Bhuj, Gwalior, and beyond.
Backed by Vision—and Capital
The LAT journey began with an initial $20 million investment from Deepinder Goyal, followed by a total seed round of $50 million, making it one of the largest early-stage investments in Indian aerospace this year.
Goyal, serving as a non-executive co-founder, brings not just funding but the product-thinking and scale-execution DNA that helped Zomato go from a food blog to a listed unicorn.
“I’ve spent over a decade solving logistics on the ground,” said Goyal in a recent interview. “Now, I want to help solve them in the sky.”
Challenges on the Runway
Of course, the path ahead for LAT is not turbulence-free. Aerospace is capital intensive, heavily regulated, and notoriously difficult to scale in India. The startup is currently:
- Working on building its first full-scale prototype
- Navigating DGCA certifications and aerospace compliance
- Hiring aggressively across engineering, propulsion systems, and aerodynamics
Yet, if any team is positioned to pull it off, it’s one that has mastered Indian operational complexity at scale before.
Why This Matters
LAT Aerospace is not just another ambitious startup—it’s a signal of where Indian innovation is heading. From fintech and edtech to aerospace and deeptech, India’s founders are thinking bigger, and building products tailored to India’s unique geography and economic diversity.
The promise of democratized air travel—one where a middle-class family in Aurangabad or a small business owner in Ujjain can hop on a plane like a bus—is no longer a fantasy. LAT is building the technology and logistics to make it real.
Final Word
As India enters its next phase of infrastructure and mobility innovation, LAT Aerospace is one of the most audacious bets on the table. It’s a story of second-time founders turning scale experience into sectoral reinvention.
And if they succeed, it won’t just change how we fly—it will change who gets to fly.
