ConocoPhillips shuttles to Midland as Permian operations ramp up

ConocoPhillips flew an Embraer ERJ-145XR (N284CP) from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Midland International Air and Space Port on May 14, a 69-minute hop that lands the same week the company reported first-quarter 2026 earnings of $2.2 billion, per a company press release. The flight is a routine employee shuttle, part of a pattern the company began in mid-2024 after acquiring the aircraft for Lower 48 service, according to a report by ch-aviation.

The destination, Midland, is the operational heart of ConocoPhillips' Permian Basin activity, where the company is concentrating capital spending this year. CEO Ryan Lance highlighted the region's organic growth during the April 30 earnings call, even as total production dipped due to Middle East disruptions.

Recent flight data shows N284CP shuttling between Houston and Midland, as well as Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Bartlesville, Oklahoma—cities the company said it would serve when it launched the shuttle service last May, per Hamden Aviation. The aircraft's schedule suggests a regular circuit moving personnel to and from field operations.