On June 12, Consul General Nozomu Takaoka attended the inaugural ceremony for the first ANA nonstop flight from Houston to Tokyo. The ceremony was attended also by Mr. Osamu Shinobe, President & CEO of ANA; Mr. Jim Compton, Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer of the United Airlines(UA); and Mr. Bob Pertierra Senior Vice President and Chief Economic Development Officer of Greater Houston Partnership. This new Houston-Narita flight departs from Houston at 11:20am and arrives in Narita at 03:20pm the next day. On its return, it departs from Narita at 11:15am and arrives in Houston at 09:30am on the same day.
This joint venture flight by ANA and UA makes it possible for customers to connect Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America beyond Houston, to Asian countries beyond Tokyo.
In his remarks（link）, Consul General celebrated the commencement of this new flight and said the day's event represents a promising future for Houston, Texas and Japan. This is thanks to the growing Japanese presence in the Houston area, the growing power of Houston as an excellent hub for transport and travel, and to Tokyo's growing advantage as a hub in Asia for Houston.
The day was officially celebrated by the Governor of Texas the Honorable Greg Abbott, and was proclaimed as ANA Day by the Honorable Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston.  
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