— Vendor Spotlight: Mr. SY Kim (Seoul, South Korea)

(July 2025)

For over 35 years, Mr. SY Kim (of Seoul, South Korea) has been a treasured staple of elite trip management services for private aviation operations moving in and out of the greater Seoul region, while serving clients of Flight Pro International (FPI) and predecessor Air Routing International (ARI) specifically since 2003.

Whether handling typical trip management duties, advising a taste of Seoul’s finest catering, or delighting clients with an agenda filled with fine art, SY has become a popular reason to swing through Seoul when flying near the region due to his thoughtfully attentive support.

Anyone with the privilege of meeting SY is immediately drawn to his cheerful disposition and eagerness to make the interaction as memorable of an experience as possible.

As a mostly self-taught classical pianist, one of SY’s personal favorite memories includes connecting with a Chief Pilot client over a Steinway.

“After he surprised us with his piano skills while walking through a hotel,” SY recalls, “I followed him in tickling the ivories with skills of my own… There are no lengths too great in order to find a common bond with clients!”

Creating memorable travel experiences has been in SY’s blood since his early career days. Originally interested in travel journalism, SY navigated his career so that a lengthy season employed by Korean Air included opportunities to visit overseas branches so that he could stretch his legs across the globe as much as possible.

In the early 1990s, SY branched off with a business partner to develop a program that popularized vacation travel from Seoul to Bangkok, teaming up with a Thai tour management group and increasing business to the tourism industry in some of the most beautiful parts of Thailand.

“We created tour groups who would travel through Bangkok then onto destinations such as Phuket Island and Pattaya,” states SY. “Our program tripled in the first two years and ultimately served over 2,000 Korean tourists. We had a wonderful relationship with the locals in Phuket and other Thai locations thanks to this thriving opportunity. Those were profitable and enjoyable times for everyone.”

SY decided to close the business after Thailand’s political upheaval in the mid-90s, followed by Korea’s financial crisis in the late-90s. He refocused his service skills into a blend of commercial and private aviation logistics, ultimately leading him to work as a preferred contractor for Air Routing International (ARI) starting in 2003, and onward through ARI’s acquisitions by Rockwell Collins and then United Technologies. Once Air Routing’s co-founder, Tom Balousek, launched Flight Pro International (FPI) in 2020, it didn’t take long to reestablish ties with SY as the preferred trip support point of contact for FPI clients charting a course through Seoul.

“Without a doubt, SY’s professionalism is top quality,” states Matt Pahl, FPI’s President and COO. “However, his infectious friendliness is what turns a routine business trip into a meaningful experience.”

Trip management services that SY conducts include (but are not limited to):

• Marshalling, parking, slots, and hanger space reservations
• Landing permits
• Security
• Ground transportation (crew and passengers)
• Fuel services
• Catering and restaurant recommendations
• In-town excursions and entertainment suggestions
• Other misc. supervision services in Seoul and certain neighboring regions (upon request)

“SY is an exceptionally talented ‘one man band,’ ” states Tom Balousek, FPI founder and co-founder of predecessor ARI. “With his keen eye for creating new solutions, he is an exceptional person to have in your corner when brainstorming ways to make your trip to the region more interesting. His list of services (above) only scratches the surface of what he can do for VIP passengers and crew.”

“We consider him to be part of the family, and we’re proud to have SY as one of our Special Services Network (SSN) professionals representing FPI as well as the Seoul, South Korea region.”

One of SY’s career-diplomat colleagues in South Korea said it best when he declared that SY is “a true civilian diplomat,” thanks to his warm and thorough introduction to Seoul.

“I genuinely love international trip support services very much,” says SY. “Everyday, I get to meet great people, introduce them to our country, make them feel welcome, and treat them like royalty, even before they land.”

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To learn more about FPI, FPC, or regarding the Compliance, Operations, Regulatory, and other Special Services Network (SSN) teams, please contact our Operations staff here at Flight Pro International.

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