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British Airways has claimed that the weather delays experienced at Heathrow airport could be mitigated by a mixed-mode system, whereby landings and takeoffs are sequenced on the same runway.

The airline claimed that more flexible use of Heathrow's two landing strips could cut weather-related hold-ups by up to two-thirds.

Research by BA found that strong headwinds often led to reductions in Heathrow's arrival rate, whereas Gatwick, which uses a mixed-mode approach, was able to maintain a consistent rate of arrivals in windy conditions.

The reason for this was thought to be the longer gaps between arrivals to allow intervening departures.

Overall, the rate of takeoffs and landings was found to be 48 per hour at Gatwick and 42 at Heathrow.

Paul Ellis, BA's infrastructure manager, said: 'Years of practical experience of runway operation at Heathrow and Gatwick has shown conclusively that mixed-mode operation provides much better protection against delays when weather conditions are difficult.

'The introduction of mixed-mode at Heathrow would be a real bonus for passengers.'

The figures were compiled as part of BA's response to the government's consultation on expansion at Heathrow, which includes proposals for the introduction of mixed-mode.

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