BAA has launched a three-year, £26m programme to make all the applications used by its 9,000 airport workers and other staff accessible via a web browser.

The change will enable the airport operator to manage its IT infrastructure via a group of servers, rather than worrying about application issues at a PC-level, thereby boosting its security and lowering maintenance costs.

'This is an important initiative for BAA,' said IT director Richard Rundle.

'We are a knowledge-based organisation and this move to a server-based platform will not only enable staff to share information more easily, it will also allow BAA to manage its IT asset base more efficiently and facilitate flexible working,' he said.

The company says the change in architecture will facilitate an increasing trend towards flexible working and will deliver cost efficiencies by enabling software rationalisation and upgrades at lower cost.

'The initial stages of the change programme have already begun with an audit and rationalisation of software and upgrades and changes to IT server farms,' said a BAA spokeswoman.

Around 300 staff at Heathrow are currently taking part in an initial pilot phase, prior to a wider implementation across the organisation.

Aside from browser-based access, the programme will also involve the move to portal-based document storage, improving the way that staff share information and collaborate on work.

In April 2003, the firm signed a five-year £45m desktop outsourcing agreement with Computacenter, shifting responsibility for its 10,000 desktops and 3,000 information displays to the IT services company.

Last week, BAA announced that it plans to trial self-service check-in kiosks at London's Heathrow airport this spring, with an aim to rolling the systems out across further UK airports in the autumn.

British Airways has already introduced kiosks in various terminals across Europe, allowing passengers to check-in and select their seats.