New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) 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, 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 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.

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 Goyal.

–IANS

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