What Vector Airport Systems does

Vector Airport Systems, LLC is a Herndon, Virginia-based private company founded in 2005 that provides automated aircraft identification and fee billing/collection systems to airports, civil aviation authorities, and government entities worldwide. The company's flagship product, PLANEPASS, combines proprietary camera-based aircraft identification (solar-powered wireless camera pods capturing tail numbers 24/7) with multi-source flight tracking data fusion (ADS-B, radar, multilateration, flight plans) to identify aircraft operations with near-complete accuracy, then handles the entire billing, collection, and remittance workflow on behalf of airports. Vector retains approximately 13% of collected landing fees as a transaction fee (per Dallas Love Field terms), with airports receiving the remainder. The company serves 150+ airports globally, ranging from major international commercial hubs to local general aviation airports and heliports, with a reported 99.6% collection rate maintained since founding.

The product portfolio extends beyond core landing/customs fee billing to include PLANEPASS Overflight (country-level airspace/FIR fee billing for national governments, first deployed internationally at Billy Bishop Toronto in 2022), VNOMS (Noise and Operations Management System integrating radar and camera data for flight tracking and noise complaint management), and PLANEPASS AAM (launched November 2023 targeting eVTOL and Advanced Air Mobility fee billing at vertiports). Underlying infrastructure includes cloud-based real-time portals for both airports (operational dashboards) and aircraft operators (payment and account management), with enterprise-grade Azure infrastructure supporting global operations. The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed external institutional funding, led by founder/CEO Pete Coleton and President William Repole (formerly co-founder of GovQA, acquired by Granicus in 2021). Distribution is primarily enterprise field sales with executive involvement in deal cycles, complemented by industry conference presence (AAAE, ACI-NA, NATA, NBAA memberships) and the self-serve operator payment portal reducing service burden.

Name

Vector Airport Systems

Legal name

Vector Airport Systems, LLC

Website

https://vector-us.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vector Airport Systems provides automated aircraft fee billing and collection systems to airports and governments worldwide, combining proprietary camera-based aircraft identification with multi-source flight tracking data. Its PLANEPASS platform serves 150+ airports, retaining ~13% of collected landing fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Airport Revenue Management

NAICS

Airport Operations (48811), Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation Infrastructure Agencies (Public Airports, Airfield Ops, Ground Access) (BPAIALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Surveillance & Identification Avionics (ADS-B/Transponders/TCAS) (IMABAFAM), Avionics Software, Certification & Safety-Critical Systems (DO-178/DO-254) (IMABAFAK)

Keywords

• Aircraft identification systems
• Landing fee billing
• Airport revenue management
• Noise operations monitoring
• Airspace fee collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Landing Fee Billing and Collection: Percentage-based fee collection service. Airport pays Vector approximately 13% of all landing fees collected. Vector handles full billing and collection process including equipment installation, monitoring, invoicing, customer service, collections, and revenue remittance to airport minus their fee.
2. Airspace Overflight Fee Billing: Billing and collection of country-based airspace navigation fees for governments and civil aviation authorities. Vector processes flight track data, identifies general aviation aircraft, and collects fees on behalf of national governments.
3. Customs Fee Billing: Automated billing and collection of customs fees for international arrivals. Combined with landing fee billing service.
4. VNOMS Subscription/Service: Noise and Operations Management System service with real-time flight tracking, noise complaint management, and operational reporting. Sold as service to airports.
5. Equipment Service and Maintenance: Service agreements covering maintenance, repair, and support of camera pods and tracking equipment. Included in overall service contract at most client airports.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vector Airport Systems provides automated aircraft identification and turn-key fee billing and collection services for airports, governments, and vertiport operators. Its PLANEPASS platform installs proprietary camera-based aircraft identification pods and fuses them with ADS-B, radar, multilateration, and flight plan data to capture aircraft operations, research operator information, invoice fees, process payments, and remit revenue to clients. Complementary offerings include PLANEPASS Overflight for country airspace (FIR) fee billing, VNOMS for noise and operations management, and PLANEPASS AAM for emerging eVTOL/Advanced Air Mobility operations.

Product overview

Vector Airport Systems provides a portfolio of airport technology solutions centered on aircraft tracking, fee billing, and operations management. The core product is PLANEPASS, an automated aircraft fee billing and collection service that has been continuously developed since 2005. PLANEPASS Overflight extends this capability to airspace fee billing for governments. VNOMS provides complementary noise and operations management. PLANEPASS AAM targets the emerging Advanced Air Mobility market for eVTOL operations. The products share common infrastructure including aircraft identification camera pods, multi-source flight data fusion, and cloud-based portals for airports and operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PLANEPASS: Automated aircraft fee billing and collection service for airports, handling landing fees, customs fees, and airspace overflight fees with 99.6% collection rate.
• PLANEPASS OVERFLIGHT
• VNOMS
• PLANEPASS AAM

Products and services

• PLANEPASS Automated aircraft fee billing and collection service that handles landing fees, customs fees, and other aircraft charges for airports. Uses camera-based aircraft identification combined with multiple flight tracking technologies (ADS-B, radar, multilateration, flight plans) to capture aircraft operations and delivers a 99.6% collection rate, eliminating manual billing work for airport staff.
• PLANEPASS Overflight Extension of PLANEPASS for country airspace (FIR) fee billing and collection. Enables national governments and civil aviation authorities to maximize revenue from airspace navigation fees and other aircraft operating fees by billing both commercial and general aviation aircraft using Vector's multi-source identification and collections infrastructure.
• VNOMS

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.6% collection rate vs. 70% collection rate before implementation (Dallas Love Field)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Times Aerospace Events Ltd (Aviation Africa)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2022Event partnership for Aviation Africa Summit 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Vector exhibited at the event with over 1200 attendees and 100 exhibitors from 84 countries. Partnership helps Vector expand international presence and introduce PLANEPASS Overflight to African aviation authorities.
• American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)minorOthersIndustry association membership displayed on website. AAAE is a major professional organization for airport executives in the United States.
• Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA)minorOthersIndustry association membership. ACI-NA represents airport authorities in Canada and the United States.
• National Air Transportation Association (NATA)minorOthersIndustry association membership. NATA represents aviation businesses including FBOs and charter operators.
• National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)minorOthersIndustry association membership. NBAA represents companies relying on general aviation aircraft for business travel.
• Southwest Chapter AAAE (SWAAAE)minorOthersRegional chapter membership. SWAAAE serves aviation professionals in the southwestern United States.
• Florida Airports Council (FAC)minorOthersState association membership representing Florida airports.
• Northeast Chapter AAAEminorOthersRegional chapter membership serving northeastern United States aviation professionals.
• AMCO (Aviation Marketing Company)minorOthersAviation marketing company partnership displayed in partner section.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ADB SAFEGATE: Global supplier of airfield lighting, gate solutions, and airport operations software (including A-CDM and apron management). Comparable to Vector as a provider of operational technology sold to airports, though ADB SAFEGATE's portfolio is much broader than fee billing.
• SITA: Air transport IT specialist serving airports, airlines, and governments with a broad portfolio spanning passenger processing, operations, and airport management software. Comparable to Vector in providing software-driven services to airports and civil aviation authorities globally.
• Collins Aerospace (RTX): Major avionics and airport systems provider (incorporating the former ARINC). Comparable to Vector through airport information management solutions, surveillance, and ground operations technology sold to airports and aviation authorities.

Direct peers

• Indra Sistemas: Spanish IT provider with a dedicated Air Traffic and Airport division offering A-CDM, noise monitoring, and airfield operations software. Comparable to Vector's VNOMS in particular, with parallel focus on flight tracking and operations management for airports.
• Frequentis: Austrian provider of air traffic management, aeronautical information, and surveillance systems used by ANSPs and airports. Comparable to Vector in addressing airspace surveillance, flight tracking, and government/civil aviation authority customers.
• Searidge Technologies: Provider of digital tower, airfield surface management, and airport operations solutions using video and sensor fusion. Comparable to Vector in fusing camera-based aircraft identification with operational data for airport situational awareness and revenue capture.
• Topsystem Systemhaus: German vendor of airport management software (AODM, A-CDM, billing) sold to airports and ANSPs. Closely comparable to Vector as a specialist provider of operational and billing systems for the airport and airspace community.
• RESA Airport Data Systems: Specialist in airport data systems including A-CDM, billing, and noise/operations monitoring. Comparable niche focus and customer base to Vector, serving airports with operational and financial systems.

Others

• AirDAT (Era Aviation / era): Provider of flight tracking, ADS-B networks, and surveillance data feeds used by airports and ANSPs. Comparable to Vector as an enabling data layer that supports airport operations, fee billing, and airspace management rather than a direct billing competitor.
• Aireon: Space-based ADS-B surveillance provider feeding ANSPs and airlines with global flight tracking. Comparable to Vector through aircraft surveillance and identification technology used to support billing and airspace fee collection, but operates as a data infrastructure provider rather than a billing vendor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vectorairportsystems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vector Airport Systems