Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal has teamed up with former Zomato Chief Operating Officer Surobhi Das to launch an aviation startup, LAT Aerospace. The startup, currently operating in stealth mode, aims to design and develop low-cost 12 to 24-seater STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft to improve connectivity between cities and towns.
According to reports, Goyal is planning to invest $20 million in the aerospace venture.
Surobhi Das, sharing details about the initiative on LinkedIn, said, “While building Zomato and traveling extensively, Deepinder Goyal and I often discussed how regional aviation should be effortless, affordable, and accessible. That’s what we’re now building at LAT.”
Explaining the startup’s vision, she added, “Our aircraft will take off and land from ultra-compact ‘air-stops’—as small as a parking lot. Imagine dozens of air-stops across major cities, seamlessly linking them to hundreds of smaller cities without baggage belts, security bottlenecks, or expensive airport infrastructure—because regional air travel doesn’t need them.”
LAT Aerospace is based in Delhi NCR and is in the process of assembling a world-class team of engineers, designers, and builders. The focus will be on aircraft design, aerodynamics, materials & composites, hybrid propulsion systems, and turbo-machinery.
Sharing Das’ post on LinkedIn, Deepinder Goyal expressed excitement about the project, stating, “Excited to bring a decade-old idea to life.” He further emphasized the need for a strong founding engineering team, urging experts in various aerospace domains to join the venture.
“Folks – Surobhi is looking for the founding engineering team for LAT, in the fields of aircraft design, aerodynamics, materials & composites, hybrid propulsion systems, and turbo-machinery,” he wrote.
Zomato’s Food Rescue Program Gains Traction
In a separate update, Goyal highlighted the growing success of Zomato’s Food Rescue Program, an initiative launched in November last year to tackle food wastage due to order cancellations.
“At the current rate, we are saving over 150,000 meals in a month,” he announced.
Zomato doesn’t encourage order cancellations due to the resulting food wastage. Despite strict no-refund policies, over 4 lakh orders are canceled each month for various reasons. The Food Rescue Program allows these canceled orders to be offered at a discounted price to nearby customers, ensuring they are not wasted.
“On average, these orders are claimed within 2 minutes and delivered in under 9 minutes,” Goyal noted, highlighting the efficiency of the initiative.