Occidental Petroleum's crew shuttle lands in Midland as Permian Basin deal season opens

Occidental Petroleum’s Embraer ERJ-175, tail N170XY, flew from Diamond N Ranch Airport to Midland International Air and Space Port on June 1, arriving just after 1:26 p.m. Central after a 75-minute hop over West Texas. The aircraft is typically used as an employee shuttle, a role that keeps it crisscrossing Occidental Petroleum’s operational footprint from Houston to the Permian Basin and beyond.

The midweek landing in Midland coincides with what industry sources describe as an active bidding window for CrownRock’s remaining Permian acreage, a transaction that, if pursued by Occidental Petroleum, could exceed $1.5 billion. As Bloomberg reported last week, the company’s CEO Vicki Hollub has signaled a continued appetite for bolt-on acquisitions in the region, where Occidental Petroleum already holds one of the largest contiguous positions. The flight’s origin at Diamond N Ranch, a private airstrip near the company’s own executive retreat properties, suggests a planning session or a personnel rotation tied to the upcoming deal cycle.

Recent flight history shows the ERJ-175 has been shuttling consistently between remote landing strips and the company’s Houston hub at KIAH. For a firm whose KMAF flights routinely land before noon, Monday’s departure time looks like a quick business turnaround—or, given the ranch departure, an overnight meeting wrapped up just before lunch. Either way, it’s a pattern: Texas to Texas, with an acquisition in the air.