LAT Aerospace: Making Flight as Easy as a Bus

Air travel is often associated with a premium experience; it has long been the domain of a dominant, wealthier segment. Higher costs and limited access in rural areas are among the primary reasons why Airlines have long been a subject of discussion among the elite.

LAT Aerospace, a startup founded in 2025 by Deepinder Goyal, a former COO of Zomato, seeks to close India’s regional connectivity gap by addressing technological, infrastructure, and regulatory challenges. Their goal is to make regional air travel faster and more affordable, which is indeed a very smart strategy.

This initiative is the consequential step in bridging the underserved region, making air travel affordable and accessible by operating with low cost, by using short take-off and landing aircraft that can operate from compact air stops, by connecting door-to-door travel, and by developing indigenous capacity from scratch, which is like a USP of this startup.

Origin of LAT Aerospace

The idea for LAT Aerospace stemmed from a shared observation by Deepinder Goyal and Suroibhi Das during their time at Zomato. While flying across India for business expansion, they repeatedly encountered the inefficiencies, high costs, and inaccessibility of regional air travel, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Their core motivation was to answer the question: “Why is regional air travel still so broken: expensive, infrequent, and mostly out of reach unless you live in a metro?”. They realised that, despite over 450 airstrips in India, only around 150 were in regular commercial use, leaving the vast majority of the country’s potential connectivity untapped.

This realisation sparked the vision to create a new model of aviation, described by Das as operating “buses in the sky”, an affordable, high-frequency, and accessible mode of transport that could function as easily as a bus service.

The Technology Stack

LAT Aerospace is currently in its Research and Development phase. Its proprietary software and hardware tools, which comprise the final tech stack, have not been publicly disclosed. Based on sources, engineering goals, and industry standards, the company is utilising a combination of advanced technologies, with a strong focus on deep engineering, advanced materials, and hybrid propulsion systems.

The hardware and physical technology encompass STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft design, capable of seating 12 to 24 passengers for short takeoffs and landings from compact airstrips. It includes indigenous gas turbine engines used to develop India’s first lightweight, efficient, flight-ready gas turbine. Additionally, it involves developing advanced hybrid electric propulsion systems to enhance sustainability and efficiency. The use of advanced materials ensures the aircraft’s structural integrity, while a dedicated in-house laboratory specialises in combustion and thermal engineering research.

Software and engineering tools include computer-aided design for creating detailed 3D models of components and assemblies. Computational fluid dynamics and simulations complement these. Programming and control systems typically utilise MATLAB/Simulink, C, C++, or Python for analysis, control, and data acquisition.

Additionally, machine learning and AI tools are increasingly being adopted in aerospace design to improve solutions, reduce testing times, and enhance simulations—an approach that LAT might consider, given its startup-style methodology.

The company emphasises an “engineer-led” approach, providing autonomy to their R&D team to innovate rapidly without extensive red tape, which suggests an agile development methodology even in a hardware-intensive industry.

Notable Milestones

Since its founding in January 2025, LAT has achieved several notable milestones. From its sparkling launch and co-founding, it has never looked back. Securing seed funding of around $50 million in March 2025, along with Deepinder Goyal himself investing $20 million in the venture, showcases the dedication and wisdom of the founders themselves, which is a notable achievement.

In anticipation of announcing its vision in March 2025 to transform regional air travel in India through low-cost operations of 12- to 24-seaters, a significant milestone was the establishment of an in-house propulsion R&D hub in Bengaluru.

This facility aims to design and build India’s first indigenous, flight-ready gas turbine engines from scratch followed by active recruitment of engineers specialised in aerodynamics, materials science, hybrid propulsion systems, and turbomachinery, prioritizing an engineer-led culture with autonomy for rapid iteration and testing and finally reaching to the stage of developing an 8 seater prototype by actively leading the design, prototyping, systems integration, and testing for an initial 8-seater hybrid-electric aircraft.

Market Opportunity

The presence of 450 airstrips and use of only 150 leaves hundreds of smaller cities and towns (Tier 2 and Tier 3) disconnected from the national air grid. LAT Aerospace grabbed the market opportunity by making it accessible for larger masses, meeting latent demand for faster, more efficient transport than existing road and rail networks.

Urbanisation, elevated economic growth and a significantly increasing disposable income in non-metro cities are creating a whole new class of travellers eagerly waiting for affordable air travel options.

LAT is using the efficient approach of working with a motto aligned with the government’s initiative of Ude Desh ka Aam Nagraik (UDAN) scheme, which provides a supportive policy framework and potential government incentives, making it more vulnerable to reach its impact on the market.

Adding to other opportunities, the infrastructural advantage of STOL aircraft, along with a time-saving value proposition, focusing on indigenous technology development and the massive expansion of the Indian aviation market, including MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) services, presents an opportunity to build a sophisticated domestic supply chain, reducing reliance on foreign entities, and opens up opportunities beyond just airline operations.

Why LAT Aerospace Matters

LAT Aerospace aims to capture a large, high-growth market by offering a unique, low-cost, high-frequency “buses in the sky” solution tailored to India’s geography and economy, aiming to serve every section of society and instilling the realisation that every category is worthy and deserves to utilise the airline services.

At a Glance,

Industry – Aerospace Industry

Headquarters – Delhi, NCR

Type – Private Limited Company

Founder – Deepinder Goyal

Co-Founder – Surobhi Das

Founded in – 2025