Occidental Petroleum flies to Carlsbad the week of its CEO succession

Occidental Petroleum flew its Embraer ERJ-175 from Midland International Air and Space Port to Cavern City Air Terminal in Carlsbad, New Mexico, on May 12, a 37-minute hop that touched down just before 2 p.m. local time. The flight lands the same week Occidental Petroleum is deep into its CEO transition: Vicki Hollub will retire as president and chief executive on June 1, with chief operating officer Richard Jackson succeeding her, as announced on May 1 [globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/01/3285910/0/en/Occidental-Announces-CEO-Succession.html).

Jackson, who joined Occidental Petroleum in 2003 and previously served as president of U.S. Onshore Oil and Gas and general manager of the Permian Delaware Basin, has deep ties to the Permian operations that stretch across West Texas and southeastern New Mexico [mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/business/oil/article/occidental-petroleum-ceo-transition-22236646.php). The company’s first-quarter 2026 results, released May 5, highlighted strong operational performance in the Permian, with total production of 1.426 million barrels of oil equivalent per day exceeding guidance [sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/797468/000162828026030567/oxyex9913-31x26earningsrel.htm).

The trip follows a pattern of frequent shuttles between Houston and Midland, the hub of Occidental Petroleum’s Permian Basin activity. The Midland-to-Carlsbad leg suggests a visit to the company’s New Mexico operations, likely part of the transition work as Jackson prepares to take the helm and focus on “organic improvement and execution” in the region.