Occidental Petroleum jet returns to Houston after Midland acreage tour

Occidental Petroleum flew from Midland (KMAF) to Houston (KIAH) on the evening of May 28, a 1-hour-27-minute hop that wrapped a full day of travel around the Permian Basin. The G280, tail N280XY, had shuttled between Midland, Carlsbad, and a point near the New Mexico line earlier in the day — a route pattern that suggests field visits to Occidental Petroleum's core drilling acreage.

The same week, Occidental Petroleum is preparing for its annual shareholder meeting scheduled for June 3 in Houston, per the company's proxy filing. Vicki Hollub, Occidental Petroleum's CEO, typically uses the G280 for quick rotations between Houston HQ and the Permian operations center in Midland. The late-night return to base allows executives to debrief ahead of the investor-facing event.

Recent flight data shows the G280 making multiple Midland-Houston rounds this week, with one leg originating near Des Moines — possibly a supply-chain or finance meeting given Occidental Petroleum's Berkshire Hathaway shareholder relationship. For a company that keeps 28% of its stock in Warren Buffett's portfolio, every trip between the field and the boardroom has a running tally.