IBM UK has confirmed that it is competing with resident supplier Unisys Corp for a large systems contract with Aeroflot, the Soviet national airline and now a participant in the IBM mainframe-based Galileo international reservation system led by British Airways Plc and based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Observers suggest that a decision will be made in the next few days, and they expect it to be in IBM’s favour, which will be another blow to Unisys Corp – Aeroflot has an antique Univac 1106-II for reservations and admin. IBM’s bid is being handled by IBM’s Airline Centre at Brentford, and it is thought that the installation would be the largest in Eastern Europe, although technical details have yet to be released.
