SYDNEY: British Airways has invested £5 million in advanced technology to reduce the delays and disruption caused by fog and poor visibility at Heathrow Airport.

It is the first commercial airline to introduce the onboard Microwave Landing System, which will increase the safe landing rate during low visibility at Heathrow by more than 20%.

An average 10 foggy days each year at Heathrow results in air traffic control having to reduce aircraft landings, leading to delays, diversions and cancellations. Intense rain can also lead to restrictions.

The new system has been installed on 29 of the airline's Airbus A320s and A321s with the remaining 12 to be completed by the end of this year.

British Airways regional manager Sam Heine says the initiative will also reduce holding times for aircraft, which will cut carbon emissions.

Now when there is fog, pilots use Instrument Landing Systems to guide the aircraft on to the runway. But ILS is subject to interference from other aircraft crossing in front of the runway transmitters, so air traffic control has to increase the space between the landing aircraft to protect the ILS signals.

MLS-equipped aircraft can make their landing approaches without the need for extra air traffic spacing.

The Airbus A320s are the first commercial aircraft to be certificated by the European Aviation Safety Agency to use the new system, which was developed for British Airways by aerospace group Thales.