Dow flies to Texas the week of its CEO succession announcement

Dow flew a Bombardier CRJ-900 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport on May 14, a 45-minute hop that landed at 12:43 UTC. The aircraft, tail number N892D, is part of the company's in-house fleet used to move engineering teams between its Gulf Coast manufacturing sites.

The trip arrives the same week Dow is executing a leadership transition that was announced on April 14, per a company press release. Jim Fitterling, who has served as chair and chief executive officer since 2018, will become executive chair of the board on July 1. Karen S. Carter, currently chief operating officer, will step into the CEO role that same day, the culmination of a multi-year succession plan. The company is also in the midst of a sweeping restructuring that includes cutting about 4,500 jobs, or 13% of its workforce, as it works to boost profitability by $2 billion, according to a Reuters report.

This is not an isolated trip. The aircraft has been shuttling regularly between the Houston area and Baton Rouge all week, and made a run from Midland to Houston on May 12. The pattern suggests Dow is rotating technical staff through its Louisiana and Texas chemical plants — routine logistics for a company that runs some of the largest ethylene and polyethylene facilities on the Gulf Coast.