ConocoPhillips flies to Midland as Permian Basin activity picks up

ConocoPhillips flew from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Midland International Air and Space Port on May 27, a 76-minute hop aboard its Embraer ERJ-145XR (tail N284CP). The aircraft, typically used for crew shuttles between Anchorage and the North Slope, touched down in West Texas just after 1 p.m. local time.

The trip lands in Midland the same week West Texas Intermediate crude climbed above $78 a barrel, per a Reuters report on May 26, driven by an OPEC+ decision to extend production cuts through the third quarter. Midland serves as the operational hub for the Permian Basin, where ConocoPhillips holds one of its largest acreage positions and where the company has been actively drilling and completing wells this quarter.

The flight follows a pattern of recent ConocoPhillips movements: over the past week, N284CP shuttled repeatedly between Houston-area airports and the Permian Basin, including a May 21 trip from Midland to Houston and a May 20 return to Midland. The company’s CEO Ryan Lance maintains Houston headquarters, but the Permian remains the engine of its onshore production growth.