Heathrow banks on software to reduce delays Heathrow airport is hoping to bolster its case for building a third runway by unveiling measures to improve its poor record on flight punctuality. BAA, Heathrow's operator, is seeking to get back on the frontfoot following this spring's immigration queues fiasco by installing a computer software system that should reduce delays to arriving and departing flights. The system will increase Heathrow's chances of coping with the large influx of passengers during the Olympic Games, and BAA is hoping that if it can increase the hub airport's efficiency, ministers will be more likely to consider a third runway. The £5m software package will enable real-time sharing of flight data between BAA, airlines, baggage handlers and air traffic controllers. Tim Hardy, BAA's head of airside activities at Heathrow, said it should strengthen the argument for the airport's expansion because "we will be seen to be running our operation to the highest possible standards." David Cameron last week paved the way for a U-turn on the Conservative party's opposition to a third runway at Heathrow - amid signs the prime minister is cooling on the idea of building a hub airport in the Thames estuary. BAA's de facto campaign for Heathrow's expansion suffered a setback when immigration queues at the airport grew significantly this April, with some passengers waiting up to three hours to clear passport control. The queues - caused primarily by ministers" insistence on full passport checks for all passengers, and reductions in Border Force staffing - provoked tension between the government and BAA, and damaged Heathrow's reputation. BAA is looking to the software system - called airport collaborative decision making - to improve operational effectiveness. Heathrow has had some of the worst delays to arriving and departing flights among Europe's top 40 airports, although its record is improving, according to Eurocontrol, the agency that co-ordinates Europe's air traffic control bodies. In 2007 Heathrow was the worst-performing airport in Europe for departing flights, with an average delay of 18.1 minutes. By last year it was the 13th worst, with an average delay of 10.8 minutes. Heathrow's problems are rooted in congestion that stems from how it is constantly operating at near full capacity on its two runways. Bad weather can quickly result in severe and protracted delays. The computer software is aimed at improving the punctuality of arriving and departing aircraft. Mr Hardy said aircraft should spend less time on taxiways waiting for take-off, cutting airlines" aggregate fuel bills by £10m a year and reducing annual carbon emissions at Heathrow by 30,000 tonnes. He added the software should end the problem of pilots "gaming" the take-off slots at the airport - the practice of outbound aircraft leaving terminal stands prematurely in moves that exacerbate congestion. David McMillan, Eurocontrol director-general, said the software should give airlines greater "confidence" about take-off times, and so ensure a smoother flow of aircraft. Heathrow's software plugs into a system operated by Eurocontrol that provides pilots and aircraft with network routes to destination airports. The arrangements should enable the EU to pursue much-delayed reforms of European airspace that will further improve punctuality and reduce fuel burn.