Marathon Oil's aircraft lands in Eau Claire amid refinery strike and oil market turmoil

Marathon Oil's Gulfstream V (N540M) was tracked flying from Gary/Chicago International Airport to Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on June 26, 2026, a 56-minute hop arriving at 10:55 PM local time.

If Marathon Oil representatives were aboard, the timing is notable: the arrival comes during a 50-plus-day strike at Marathon Petroleum's Martinez, California, renewable diesel refinery, where 120 United Steelworkers Local 5 members remain on the picket line following layoffs and safety concerns, per reporting by the Bay Area Current. The strike has escalated with the refinery's wastewater treatment reportedly unstaffed, raising environmental risks. Separately, oil markets remain volatile after an attack in the Strait of Hormuz on June 26 disrupted an evacuation plan, per Al Jazeera, with Brent crude hovering near $73.80.

The flight follows a pattern of Midwest movements for N540M — the aircraft visited Eau Claire eight times in recent days, with stops at Indianapolis, Chicago, and Parkersburg, West Virginia. Marathon Oil, which merged with ConocoPhillips in November 2024, maintains its Gulfstream V for executive travel; the jet has logged roughly 30 flight hours across 49 tracked flights since joining the Celebplanes registry.