New Delhi31 minutes ago
- Copy link
Jomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal and Lat Aerospace’s co-founder Surabhi Das. This image is generated from AI.
In the coming days, traveling by airplane can be as easy as climbing the bus. Air travel will not be limited to big cities only, but will be available for everyone, everywhere. Aviation Startup Lat Aerospace wants to do something similar in India in which Jomato co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has invested.
Lat Aerospace co-founder Surabhi Das has given information about Deepinder’s investment in LinkedIn Post. Surabhi Das has been the Chief Operating Officer at Jomato. According to reports, LAT Aerospace has so far raised funding of about $ 50 million, or about Rs 417 crore. Out of this, $ 20 million i.e. about 167 crore rupees have been invested by Deepinder Goyal himself.
Startups will connect small towns with air travel
The purpose of the startup is to make air travel easier and cheaper. This aviation startups will connect small towns and towns (Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities) with air travel. Surabhi wrote in her post, “When we were flying throughout India for Jomato, we used to get stuck on the same question again and again- why is the regional air travel in India so difficult, expensive and less?
Company making small aircraft with 12 to 24 seats
The company will make a 12 to 24-seater short takeoff and landing (Stol) aircraft, which will be able to fly from small ‘air stops’. These air stops will be as small as parking lots, which will be near people’s homes. There will be no baggage belt, nor long security lines.
People will come and fly. Their range can be up to 1500 km, which will be created keeping in mind the geographical and demographic needs of India.
More than 450 aeritrips, only 150 use
There are more than 450 aerustripes in India, but only 150 of them run commercial flights. That is, the two-thirds of the country’s aviation capacity is not being used.
On the other hand, millions of people living in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities travel for hours by road or train, sometimes a day-long day, because there are no cheap and repeated flights available for them. The mission of Lat Aerospace is to add these cities.
Photo of Aeritrip present in Idukki, Kerala. There are more than 450 aerustripes in India, but only 150 of them run commercial flights.
Company preparations to increase their team
LAT Aerospace has begun to grow its team. The company is hiring Aerospace Engineers, System Designers and Aviation enthusiasts.
Surabhi Das wrote in her LinkedIn Post, “If you are an aerospace engineer, a system designer or a fan of flights, send us your email.
Regulatory and technical challenges in front of the company
The way is not easy for the company. It will not be easy to win regulatory approval, technical challenges and people’s trust in the aviation industry. Accidents like Boeing 787 Crash of Air India in India have raised questions about aviation safety.
In such a situation, Lat Aerospace will have to follow strict rules and safety standards. Also, it will be necessary to see if people will adopt this new concept.
Expert said- the company will have to bring cheap aircraft
Aviation Consultant Sanjay Lazar says that India’s aviation market is growing rapidly. According to him, if Lat aerospace is found to be the right type of small and cheap aircraft, it can change the regional travel. Especially if they work on electric vehicle takeoff and landing (EVTOL) technology which can fly without a big airport.
Sanjay believes that in the next 5 years, more than 100 Evtol aircraft may come in India, which will reduce the cost significantly.
Ultra-Lo-cost airlines concept not successful
Aviation Expert Parvez Damania is a little cautious about this idea. He says that the concept of “Ultra-Lo-Cast” airlines in India has not yet been successful. Reason? Fuel, aircraft lease, spare parts and maintenance costs all dollars, which is uniform for all types of airlines.
Apart from this, the pilot of small aircraft has to pay as much salary as the pilots of the big aircraft. Parvez says that regional airlines have a lot of potential, but for this the government will have to make subsidies and special policies.
Air travel costs can be reduced by 50-80%
Airlines like Indigo are already adding 512 cities, including several Tier 3 cities. But still, only 1 out of 10 people in India have ever traveled by air.
Kushal Bhagya, founder of Allin Capital, believes that if a startup is able to bring new technology (eg EVTOL), he can reduce air travel expenses by 50-80%. With this, 50 crore Indians will be able to travel by air, which is a big chance.