LAT Aerospace "Has Not Bought Any Private Jet", Deepinder Goyal Clarifies

Eternal (formerly Zomato) CEO Deepinder Goyal on Wednesday refuted reports that LAT Aerospace, an aviation startup backed by him, has bought a Bombardier Global jet.

Reacting to reports that Eternal CEO Deepinder Goyal-backed LAT Aerospace has bought a Bombardier private jet, Mr Goyal said "LAT is a startup and has not bought any private jet".

"We are focused on building aircraft for regional aviation and are not in the business of buying planes," he said in a statement posted on X.

He further said that LAT is about making planes for regional aviation, and is not in the business of buying planes.

"And, I don't own one personally either. Will be nice to have one though," he chuckled.

According to reports, the LAT-owned Bombardier Global series aircraft was scheduled to operate on July 16.

LAT Aerospace, co-founded by Mr Goyal, aims to transform regional air travel in India with low-cost, high-frequency mini-aircraft.

It is building the future of mass aviation: a network of high-frequency, low-cost, 24-seater, STOL (short take-off and landing), medium-haul aircraft that "make every city, every town, and every community accessible."

"Powered by next-generation aircraft, designed ground-up for efficiency, built for affordability, and future-proofed for autonomy, we are aiming to rewrite the rules of flight," according to the startup.

"Our aircraft will take off and land in compact 'air-stops' no bigger than a parking lot - no baggage belts, no security bottlenecks - eliminating the need for complex, expensive airport infrastructure that regional air travel simply doesn't require," according to its website.

Mr Goyal launched LAT Aerospace last month, according to a LinkedIn post by Surobhi Das, the cofounder of the aviation startup.

"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? India has 450 + airstrips - but only 150 see commercial flights," Das said in her post last month.

The startup has reportedly raised about $50 million, with $20 million invested by Mr Goyal.

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