Occidental Petroleum shuttles to Midland as Stratos DAC plant nears startup

Occidental Petroleum's Embraer ERJ-175, tail number N170XY, departed George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on May 7, 2026, at 12:10 p.m. CDT, touching down at Midland International Air and Space Port just over an hour later. The quick hop covered 340 miles at times exceeding 399 knots, a routine shuttle for the oil giant's workforce.

The timing aligns with key developments at Occidental Petroleum's Stratos direct air capture facility in neighboring Ector County, where Phase 2 commissioning has begun this month, per updates from the company's 1PointFive subsidiary. Expected to capture up to 500,000 metric tons of CO2 annually once fully operational by year's end, Stratos marks a pivot toward carbon management amid the firm's core Permian Basin operations. This follows the May 5 release of first-quarter results, highlighting steady production from the region.

Such trips underscore Occidental Petroleum's deep ties to the Permian, where it produces the bulk of its 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalent daily. Recent flights on May 5 and 6 clustered around Midland and nearby Carlsbad, New Mexico, suggesting intensified operational oversight—perhaps as CEO Vicki Hollub prepares for her June 1 retirement, leaving a legacy that blends fossil fuels with lower-carbon ambitions.