Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal is venturing into the regional aviation space with LAT Aerospace, a startup that aims to redefine short-haul air travel in India, according to a LinkedIn post by LAT co-founder Surobhi Das.“While building Zomato and flying across India, Deepinder and I kept circling back to the same question: Why is regional air travel still so broken—expensive, infrequent, and mostly out of reach unless you live in a metro?” Das wrote, quoted PTI.India has over 450 airstrips, but fewer than 150 see regular commercial operations. That means nearly two-thirds of the country’s aviation potential remains untapped, even as millions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities spend hours—sometimes days—travelling by road or rail, the post added.Outlining the vision for LAT Aerospace, Das said the company envisions “buses in the sky—affordable, high-frequency, and designed to connect the places the airline industry overlooked.”The startup plans to build “air-stops”—compact takeoff and landing zones, no bigger than a parking lot—closer to residential areas. “No chaos. No security lines. Just walk in and fly,” she said.
