[00:00:10]
I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE EVERYBODY TO TAKE A SEAT OR PLEASE APPROACH THE STAGE BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA START OUR PROGRAM.
BEFORE WE START OUR PROGRAM, WE JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE FEW OFFICIALS THAT JOIN US.
IN THE MEANTIME, COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER IS WITH US THIS AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD.
KELLY WATERBURN WITH SENATOR TED CRUZ'S OFFICE.
OKAY, SO WE ARE GONNA PROCEED WITH OUR PROGRAM, AND I JUST WANNA TELL YOU WHAT WE ARE GONNA EXPECT.
WE'RE GONNA BE HEARING FROM THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM, AND WE ARE GONNA FOLLOWED BY, UH, ZIPPER'S CHAIRMAN, AND THERE'LL BE BRIEF EXCHANGE OF GIFTS, FOLLOWED BY REMARKS BY CONSUL OF JAPAN.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE'RE GONNA BE HEARING FROM, UM, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE TO THE STAGE MR. JIM SNIA, HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR.
ALL RIGHT, SO, UH, IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE WITH EVERYBODY TODAY, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS FROM AN AIRPORT DIRECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE, THE, WHAT WE LIKE TO DO, GET NEW AIR SERVICE.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE RECOGNIZE HOW IMPORTANT THE AIRPORT IS TO, UM, THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND THE ECONOMY THAT WE'VE GOT AROUND HERE.
SO FOR THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM, IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT $40 BILLION IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND ABOUT 200,000 JOBS.
AND SO, AS WE THINK ABOUT ADDING NEW FLIGHTS AT THE AIRPORT, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP BY ADDING A NEW AIRLINE.
UM, AND AGAIN, WITH A DESTINATION.
THIS IS OUR FIRST LOW COST INTERNATIONAL LONG HAUL CARRIER.
AND SO THAT HELPS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, BRING FOLKS TO HOUSTON TO BE ABLE TO EXCHANGE, UH, FROM A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE AND THEN ALSO FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE.
AND WE THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS FLIGHT MEANS TO THE CITY.
UM, SO IF WE THINK THE AVERAGE, YOU KNOW, THE AVERAGE JAPANESE TOURIST WHEN THEY COME TO THE UNITED, THE UNITED STATES IS GONNA SPEND OVER $2,000 IN THIS MARKET.
AND THE AMOUNT OF, OF FLIGHTS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE OVER THIS, UH, SUMMER AND, AND THE SEASON, YOU KNOW, THIS FLIGHT IS WORTH, UH, YOU KNOW, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE ECONOMY AROUND HERE.
AND SO WE'RE VERY THANKFUL THAT ZIP AIR CHOSE THIS BECAUSE I'VE GOT KIND OF TWO MANTRAS AT THE AIRPORT.
NUMBER ONE IS THE AIRPORT IS THE FIRST AND OR LAST IMPRESSION OF A CITY, UM, FOR THE TRAVELING PUBLIC.
AND SO WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING INTO OUR NEW NEWLY REHABBED, UH, INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL.
UM, AND SO I THINK THE, THE PASSENGERS THAT I SAW THERE THIS MORNING REALLY ENJOYED IT.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER MANTRA THAT I'VE GOT IS, IS THAT WE HAVE TO BE REALLY GOOD TO OUR CUSTOMERS, UH, BECAUSE THEY CAN LITERALLY FLY AWAY.
AND SO WE REALLY THANK THE AIRLINES.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW ZIP AIR, YOU HAD THE POTENTIAL TO, TO LOOK AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT MARKETS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, AND WE WERE VERY GLAD THAT YOU CHOSE HOUSTON.
UH, AGAIN, THIS DOES GIVE US, YOU KNOW, A BIG CONNECTION TO A, UH, TO, FROM A HOUSTON PERSPECTIVE, TO TOKYO.
UM, AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US BECAUSE THERE'S A ALREADY A STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN TOKYO AND, AND HOUSTON.
AND WE THINK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE CONTINUING TO GO ON IN HOUSTON, PARTICULARLY ON A SPACE PERSPECTIVE.
I KNOW THAT WE WORK A LOT WITH THE JAPANESE SPACE AGENCY AND A LOT OF THE SPACE BUSINESS IN JAPAN IS LINKED WITH THE SPACE BUSINESS HERE IN HOUSTON.
AND SO THIS AGAIN, GIVES US THAT CONNECTION THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GROW THE ECONOMY HERE AND TO GROW THE ECONOMY IN JAPAN.
AND SO IT'S VERY HARD, UH, VERY, VERY NICE TO HAVE THIS KIND OF A PARTNERSHIP.
SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, OF, YOU KNOW, YOU CHOOSING THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM, UH, AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO BE ABLE TO, TO BRING THIS FLIGHT TO US.
UH, 'CAUSE AGAIN, IT'S A OF GREAT BENEFIT TO US, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, BOTH CULTURALLY AND, UH, ECONOMICALLY.
SO I, AGAIN, RIGHT NOW, I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU UP, CHAIRMAN, AND IF YOU CAN GIVE SOME REMARKS AND TELL US ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WONDERFUL FLIGHT THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE PROVIDING FOR US.
ON BEHALF OF GPR TEAM, I LIKE TO THANK MAYOR JOHN WHITMAN FOR THIS FABULOUS HONOR.
IT IS A PLEASURE TO WITNESS THIS, UH, BEAUTIFUL MOMENT IN THE PRESENCE OF YOU ALL.
ON ONE HAND, I'M READY TO RECEIVE THIS RECOGNITION, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NOW HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THIS ROUTE IS SUCCESSFUL FOR YEAR TWO COMES AND WE HOPE GPR BECOMES A POPULAR CHOICE FOR HOUSTONIAN WHEN TRAVELING TO ASIA.
WE ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM TO TRY OUR AIRLINE ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO JAPAN.
IN CLOSING, I LIKE TO SEND OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE TO EACH ONE OF YOU.
AND THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE ARE CONFIDENT THIS SERVICE WILL PROVIDE A, UH, VARIABLE RING FOR COMMERCIAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN.
[00:05:01]
THANK YOU.AND NOW WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE TO THE STAGE CONSUL OF JAPAN, MR. ZUKI MOCHIZUKI.
IF YOU DID KNOW HOUSTON, UM, HAS ONE OF THE OLDEST JAPANESE CONSULATES IN THE UNITED STATES THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1941 AS THE REGIONAL OFFICE OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL IN NEW ORLEANS.
AND THEN IN 1965, IT WAS MADE AN OFFICIAL CONSULATE GENERAL.
SO CONSUL, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU, UH, BECAUSE YOU'RE READING WRONG EVERYONE.
IT IS A PLEASURE TO CELEBRATE THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION AND TO WELCOME THE FEAR TO HOUSTON.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE JAPANESE FCC HAS OPERATED IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES, AND I AM DELIGHTED TO PART OF THE SUCH AN IMPORTANT EVENT.
THE HOUSTON METRO AREA IS PRO PROJECTED TO HAVE THE HIGHEST REAL GDP IN TEXAS AND THE THIRD HIGHEST IN NATION BY 2023.
UNSURPRISINGLY, A GROWING NUMBER OF JAPANESE COMPANIES ARE ESTABLISHING OFFICES AND PLANS IN THE HOUSTON METRO AREA AND THROUGH TEXAS, THROUGHOUT TEXAS, INCREASINGLY BY MORE THAN 50% OF OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, I'M SURE THAT MANY JAPANESE BUSINESS PERSON WOULD BE THE HOUSTON AND OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS USING GPH SERVICE.
HOUSTON IS OUR CITY WITH ACCESS TO MANY AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES AS WERE ADDED TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AMERICA.
WE HOPE THAT GPS, UH, CHOOSE SOME SERVICE WILL BRING MORE PASSENGERS, NOT ONLY FROM TEXAS, BUT ALSO FROM THE SURROUNDING STATES.
JAPAN'S MOST BEAUTIFUL TIME OF YEAR CHERRY BLOSSOM SEASON IS APPROACHING AND SPECIFIC TO THIS YEAR, THE OSAKA EXPORT 2025, IN WHICH 49 COUNTRIES WILL PARTICIPATE WILL SOON BEGIN IN APRIL.
THE LAUNCH OF GP SERVICE IS VERY TIME TO ATTRACT THE LARGE PASSENGERS TO JAPAN FROM HOUSTON AND NEIGHBORING REGIONS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN JAPAN, TEXAS GROW EVEN STRONGER WITH THE, WITH THE ADDITION OF GP SERVICE.
AND NOW, UM, IS THE TIME TO INVITE TO THIS STAGE, UH, THE HONOR, JO JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR OF THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE US.
UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, WELCOME AND, UH, YOU HONOR US WITH YOUR PRESENCE.
AND THIS IS A CELEBRATION FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND MY ADMINISTRATION.
UH, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT TO INDICATE THE CITY'S COMMITMENT.
YOU ARE NOW PART OF OUR FAMILY AND IT'S ONLY GONNA GROW.
AND, UH, EVERYONE THAT'S HERE TODAY, THIS IS HISTORY.
YOU NEED TO REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE THIS DAY.
THAT ZIP AIRLINE LAUNCHED ITS DIRECT FLIGHT TO TOKYO, AND, UH, AS OUR CITY GROWS, UH, THE AIRLINE WILL GROW.
IT WILL FACILITATE AND ALLOW SO MANY MORE HOUSTONIANS TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN.
AND NOT TO MENTION, YOUR CITIZENS WILL GET TO COME AND ENJOY HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND I HOPE THEY COME ON A PRETTY DAY LIKE THIS.
WIND'S A LITTLE STRONG BUT BEAUTIFUL DAY.
BUT IT WILL HELP OUR CULTURAL EXCHANGE, OUR ECONOMY.
CERTAINLY I GET TO USE OUR PORT, OUR MED CENTER, OUR SPACE PORT, SO EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO OFFER IS NOW IN YOUR HANDS.
YOU'VE GOT ME HERE REPRESENTING 2.3 MILLION HOUSTONIANS.
AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO TRAVELING TO TOKYO IS SUCH A WELL RUN CITY.
IT'S SUCCESS, IT'S TRANSIT SYSTEM, ITS CULTURE.
SO IT'S REALLY SOMETHING TO BE EXCITED
[00:10:01]
ABOUT.AND IN FACT, CITY COUNCIL PROCLAIMED TODAY ZIP AIR DAY IN THE CITY OF FUTURE MARCH 4TH.
I'D LIKE TO PRESENT THIS PROCLAMATION DECLARING THIS ZIP AIR DAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE Y'ALL WANT US TO STAND NOW.
WE'RE GONNA PROCEED IN OUR FINAL PERFORMANCE BY KAARI TAKO OF HOUSTON.