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The £4.3bn Heathrow T5 project included a new terminal and satellite building, nine new tunnels, river diversions and road connections to the M25. It was hailed in 2006 as enlightened due to the adoption of innovative project management practices to avert the consequences of the traditional approach used in the UK construction industry. This traditional approach for a project of this size would potentially have resulted in average time overruns of two years, 40% budget overruns and six to eight fatalities, whereas T5 had been completed on time and within budget at the human cost of two fatalities.

"Terminal 5 was hailed in 2006 as enlightened due to the adoption of innovative project management practices." Under the unique T5 agreement, BAA absorbed total risk in all contracts for the project, and developed the concept of integrated teams reflecting a partnering relationship. This pioneering approach concentrated on early risk mitigation to anticipate, manage and reduce risks associated with the project. This change in BAA's culture was described as a 'watershed', creating an environment for early problem-solving, sharing of information and collaboration. One example of this approach was the offsite prefabrication of the terminal's roof to minimise some of the risk of its advanced design.

The T5 project made extensive use of off-site trials and testing, generating major cost and time savings during construction. Part of the roof and façade for the main terminal building was constructed in the Yorkshire countryside to ensure thorough testing before assembly on site took place. This enabled any problems to be revealed at an early stage, and the lessons learned applied to the construction and fit-out of the T5's 21 bays. A new take-off procedure for the A380 'superjumbo', which saves on fuel and emits less CO2, has been developed at Heathrow.

It will be used immediately on Singapore Airlines flights and details are being sent to other A380 users.

Making maximum use of the aircraft's sophisticated electronics, a team of experts from BAA, NATS, Singapore Airlines and Airbus has devised the departure procedure which is more efficient - yet still within the airport's strict noise limits.

It is estimated that the new scheme can save an additional 300kg of fuel per flight, equating to one metric tonne of emissions of CO2 on a flight to Singapore, as well as reducing NOx emissions.

The companies worked together over the last year to develop the new airline procedure, which has been put into place immediately. Singapore Airlines A380s departing Heathrow now use less power when taking off, saving fuel and reducing NOx emissions. Once a height of 1,500 feet has been reached, the aircraft uses flexible acceleration up to 4,000 feet, before continuing its journey.

“The A380 represents the most significant step forward in reducing aircraft fuel burn and resultant emissions in four decades whilst offering greater comfort on board,” said Tom Williams, executive vice president programmes, Airbus.

“In fact, the A380 consumes less than three litres of fuel per passenger per 100 ...