"Never been done in this world...radical in terms of aviation": Deepinder Goyal says how India can cut travel time with LAT Aerospace

In a recent episode of Raj Shamani’s podcast, Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal shared his ambition for the future of regional travel in India that could dramatically cut travel time between nearby cities using short air trips with LAT Aerospace.

 Deepinder Goyal backs the case for short air trips in India

During the conversation, Goyal spoke about how India’s current travel infrastructure has a wide gap for journeys that are too long by road yet inefficient by traditional commercial flights.

"Never been done in this world, this is radical in terms of aviation,” he told Shamani.

For distances in the range of a few hundred kilometres, travellers often spend more time reaching airports than actually flying. According to Goyal, this is precisely where short-haul aviation can unlock massive value.

The Zomato boss added that India is uniquely positioned for this shift. With densely populated cities, fast-growing business hubs, and increasing demand for time-efficient travel, the country needs alternatives between highways and large commercial airlines.

Deepinder Goyal’s new venture, LAT Aerospace, aims to address this gap by enabling quick, frequent, and relatively affordable short air journeys. 

These trips are designed to operate from smaller airstrips or regional airports, significantly reducing boarding, security, and turnaround times.

The idea, Goyal explained, is not luxury aviation but practicality. For founders, professionals, and even small teams, saving four to six hours on a round trip could translate directly into productivity and economic impact.

Here’s the why behind LAT Aerospace.

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Follow @lataerospace for future updates. pic.twitter.com/iC0HvEWCKj

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 6, 2026

Reducing travel time with LAT Aerospace

One of the key takeaways from the conversation was Goyal’s emphasis on infrastructure-first thinking. Rather than positioning short air travel as an elite offering, he framed it as a logistical solution similar to how quick commerce transformed last-mile delivery by focusing on speed and density instead of scale alone.

He also acknowledged that success in this space would depend less on futuristic aircraft and more on execution of reliable operations, affordable pricing, safety, and integration with existing transport systems.

According to Deepinder Goyal, if executed well, short air trips could:

• Reduce inter-city travel time from hours to minutes

• Improve connectivity between Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities

• Enable faster business, healthcare, and emergency travel

• Open up new economic corridors without massive road expansion

While LAT Aerospace is still early in its journey, the discussion on Raj Shamani’s podcast has already sparked curiosity and debate, particularly around whether India is ready to embrace aviation beyond the traditional airport model.

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