What Xplane does

xplane Ltd. is an international engineering design group of Professional Engineers that provides independent, supplier-agnostic consulting services to airports and asset owners across the aviation and logistics markets. Founded in 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand by three Directors (Scott Cornwall, John Fitzgerald, and Roeland Kruiswijk) — each with over 25 years of baggage handling industry experience — the firm was established to give airports an independent advisory alternative to conflicted system integrators (e.g., Siemens, Vanderlande, Daifuku, Glidepath). Its service portfolio comprises four offerings: Projects (specialist project management, technical documentation review, tender production, acceptance testing, installation/commissioning oversight, and go-live support), Advisory (lifecycle consulting from master planning through operational analysis and technology needs assessment), Design (AutoCAD and Revit-based supplier-agnostic conceptual and detailed design with an in-house native Revit library of BHS equipment components for BIM integration), and Analytics (proprietary in-house software tools for performance modelling, simulation, emulation, 2D+3D SCADA, and automated bag drop analysis).

The firm's underlying technology is built around an in-house developed native Revit library of equipment components that integrates with BIM processes, paired with a suite of proprietary analytics software tools designed for baggage handling system performance analysis, HLC/SAC systems, and operational simulation. These tools are domain-specialized rather than general-purpose platforms. xplane generates revenue exclusively through professional services — project-based consulting engagements with enterprise airport and asset owner clients, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct: the firm engages enterprise procurement and project management teams at airports, supplementing in-house teams with specialist Professional Engineer knowledge across the full asset lifecycle.

The customer base is entirely enterprise aviation and logistics, with publicly referenced logos including Auckland International Airport, Qantas, and Toronto International Airport reflecting project histories. xplane maintains a global footprint with projects spanning multiple continents, supported by an exhibition calendar presence at industry conferences. The company is privately held, bootstrapped without external funding, and operates with a lean five-person core team (three Directors, one Senior Consultant, one Project Delivery Specialist) from its Auckland CBD headquarters at Level 18, 88 Shortland Street. There is no disclosed revenue, no public valuation, and no parent or subsidiary structure.

Name

Xplane

Legal name

xplane Ltd.

Website

https://xplane.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

xplane Ltd. is an Auckland-based engineering consultancy providing independent, supplier-agnostic design, advisory, project management, and analytics services to airports and asset owners for baggage handling systems, passenger technology, and logistics conveying infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Advisory and Consulting Services: Professional engineering design and advisory services provided to airports and asset owners for baggage handling systems, passenger processing technology, and logistics systems. Revenue generated through project-based consulting engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

xplane is an international engineering design group of Professional Engineers providing independent design and advisory services to airports and asset owners for baggage handling systems, passenger processing technology, and automated conveying, sortation, and distribution systems. The company delivers four core service lines — Projects, Advisory, Design, and Analytics — covering the full project lifecycle from master planning through operational readiness. Services are supplier-agnostic and supported by an in-house Revit library and proprietary analytics software tools.

Product overview

Xplane is an international engineering design group of Professional Engineers providing independent consulting services to airports and asset owners. Their service portfolio consists of four core offerings: Projects (specialist project management and technical oversight), Advisory (life-cycle consulting across master planning to operational analysis), Design (supplier-agnostic CAD services using AutoCAD and Revit with BIM integration and in-house developed equipment component library), and Analytics (in-house software tools for performance modelling and simulation). Xplane does not offer a software product platform; rather, they deliver professional engineering services supported by proprietary analytical tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Projects Specialist project management services including technical documentation review, tender document production, acceptance testing supervision, installation and commissioning oversight, operational readiness review, and go-live transition assistance for airports and asset owners.
• Advisory Independent advisory services across the project or asset life-cycle including master planning, design, project execution support, operational analysis, and technology needs assessment for airports and asset owners.
• Design Supplier-agnostic conceptual and detailed design and layout services using AutoCAD and Revit, with an in-house native Revit library of equipment components that integrates with BIM processes, including analytics, modelling, and 3D simulation for airports and asset owners.
• Analytics Operational and design-phase analytics services using in-house developed software tools to ensure performance requirements are met for new designs and to identify performance improvements and operational problems in existing baggage handling and passenger processing systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extended capacity and delayed expansion for operational systems through performance analysis

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Daifuku Airport TechnologiesminorOthersScott Cornwall co-founded and managed an IT/software company that developed and integrated BHS and Logistics HLC/SAC systems. This company has since merged into Daifuku Airport Technologies. This is a historical relationship from before xplane was founded.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with aviation practice that designs airport facilities and provides advisory across aviation infrastructure. Comparable because Arup operates in the same independent advisory space for airports, but at vastly greater scale and with broader portfolio beyond BHS.
• Jacobs Engineering: Large engineering and professional services firm with aviation and critical infrastructure practices advising airports and asset owners. Comparable as a peer in airport advisory, but Jacobs operates across many industries at much greater scale.
• Siemens Logistics: Division of Siemens providing baggage handling, airport logistics, and postal automation systems globally. Comparable as a major player in the airport BHS market where xplane provides advisory, though operating as system integrator/supplier rather than independent advisor.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with significant aviation practice providing planning, design, and program management to airports. Comparable as an independent advisor to airport clients, though AECOM's scope and headcount are orders of magnitude larger than xplane.
• Mott MacDonald: International engineering consultancy with a dedicated aviation team advising airports on systems, infrastructure, and operational improvements. Comparable as a supplier-agnostic advisor to airport asset owners, but with a much wider service portfolio than xplane's BHS focus.

Direct peers

• SITA: Air transport IT specialist serving airports and airlines with passenger processing technology, baggage management software, and related services. Comparable as a technology-enabled services peer in airport passenger and baggage handling, though SITA is much larger and product-software-led rather than engineering advisory.
• Daifuku Airport Technologies: Global airport BHS manufacturer and integrator; absorbed the predecessor IT/software company co-founded by xplane Director Scott Cornwall. Directly comparable as a system integrator competing for the same airport BHS projects xplane advises on, and a former employer/partner of xplane's leadership.
• Vanderlande: Major baggage handling and parcel sortation system integrator and supplier serving airports globally. Comparable because Vanderlande operates in the same BHS/airport automation space that xplane advises on, though as a system integrator rather than independent advisor.
• Alstef Group: French-based baggage handling and material handling system integrator with operations in New Zealand (Alstef NZ) where xplane Senior Consultant Paddy Charles previously served as Technical Manager. Directly comparable as a BHS system integrator operating in the same market and overlapping talent pool as xplane.
• Glidepath: Baggage handling system integrator with operations across New Zealand, Canada, and other markets; former employer of xplane Directors John Fitzgerald (managed Canadian operations) and Tristan Last (project delivery). Directly comparable as a BHS system integrator competing for airport business where xplane provides independent advisory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xplane-ltd

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 Xplane