Mayor Sylvester Turner recently led a delegation to Israel to attract business and create collaborations in the fields of energy, life sciences and smart cities
(L to R) Houston Airports Chief External Affairs Officer Saba Abashawl, City of Houston Chief Development Officer Andy Icken, Kinder Institute Director William Fulton, Houston City Council member Michael Kubosh, Mayor of Tel Aviv Ron Huldai and Mayor Sylvester Turner
Mayor Sylvester Turner recently led a delegation to Israel to attract business and create collaborations in the fields of energy, life sciences and smart cities. Houston Airports Chief External Affairs Officer Saba Abashawl joined the Mayor and a delegation of business and nonprofit leaders from Noble Energy, Braun Enterprises, Lone Star College System, Texas Medical Center, Visit Houston, Kinder Institute, ChaiOne, INVICTUS, Precision Task Group and Winstead PC.
To encourage greater collaboration between Israel and Houston, Mayor Turner is pushing for direct flights from Houston to Tel Aviv. Abashawl led discussions on Houston Airports’ facilities and recent enhancements aimed at providing a seamless arrivals experience for international visitors.
“There are direct flights on the West Coast of the US and on the East Coast and I know that Israel is resuming a direct flight to Miami,” he said. “But when you look at the city of Houston and all that the city has to offer and the synergies with Israel, we think there are tremendous opportunities if we can establish a direct flight between the two.”
Houston is known as the energy capital of the world and is home to the largest players of the oil and gas industry.
“We’d be delighted to see new air service between Houston and Israel,” said Saba Abashawl, chief external affairs officer of the Houston Airport System. “Our mutual business connections are growing, especially in the energy and medical industries, as well as in technology and logistics. Tourism is also growing, and we believe that when combined with business growth, this expansion can serve as the foundation for a strong traffic base.”
Houston and Israel have a shared belief that innovation, creativity and progress require positive leadership, thoughtful inclusion of our citizens, discipline and hard work. The delegation came away with a renewed sense of purpose and optimism for the future of Houston knowing that we have all the resources and people to improve our great city.
For more information on the mission and the results, see the links below: