Parata Air appoints Brian Kim as inaugural LA branch manager, eyes US market entry

Parata Air announced Friday that it has established a Los Angeles branch and appointed Brian Kim as its inaugural branch manager, as part of the airline's strategy to build a local foundation for entering the US market.

The airline is working to set up its local operations and sales infrastructure in stages, with the goal of launching service on the LA route in May next year. Through the new branch and its leadership appointment, Parata Air plans to sharpen its ongoing launch preparations — covering airport operations, ground handling, local sales and marketing, and network-building with relevant agencies and the travel industry.

Kim brings more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry and is a specialist in the Americas market.

He served as the inaugural Los Angeles branch manager for Air Premia starting in 2022, where he built the local operations and ground-handling framework from the earliest days of the carrier's LA launch, established cooperative relationships with airport authorities and related agencies, and went on to oversee all aspects of local business — including sales and marketing, business development, and organizational and financial management.

Parata Air said it plans to leverage Kim's experience opening new routes and his local network to establish a stable operational base for the LA launch, while proactively securing a sales foothold in the Americas market by expanding cooperation with local travel industry players and business partners.

"Drawing on the experience and network I have built in the Americas aviation market, I will work to lay a solid local foundation so that Parata Air can enter the US market on stable footing," Kim said. "I will focus not only on preparing for flight operations, but also on making Parata Air known to local customers and partners and creating the groundwork for continued business expansion."

A Parata Air official said the establishment of the LA branch and the appointment of its manager signal that preparations for the LA launch are taking concrete shape at the stage of building a local organization and business base. "We will proceed with all necessary preparations without a hitch, with safe and stable flight operations as our top priority," the official said.

Meanwhile, Parata Air has also been actively securing aircraft in line with its international network expansion, recently signing a contract to bring in an Airbus A320-200 as its sixth aircraft.