Occidental Petroleum flies to Riyadh the week OPEC+ quotas expose a widening gap

Occidental Petroleum flew from Shannon, Ireland to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on June 10, 2026, aboard its Gulfstream G650ER (tail N650XY). The seven-hour transatlantic hop landed just after 5:00 p.m. local time, putting the Houston-based independent’s senior team — and its largest single outside shareholder, Berkshire Hathaway — squarely inside the Saudi capital.

The same week, OPEC+ agreed at its June 7 meeting to raise production quotas by another 188,000 barrels per day for July, the fourth consecutive monthly increase. But as [Khaleej Times](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/energy/opec-quota-hike-exposes-widening-policy-reality-gap-amid-hormuz-crisis) reports, the decision has “exposed a widening gap between OPEC+ official targets and actual production capacity,” because the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and Gulf oil cannot physically reach consumers. Occidental Petroleum, which holds a 40 percent stake in the onshore Shah gas project in the UAE — taken offline in March after a reported drone strike, per [Hoodline](https://hoodline.com/2026/03/houston-s-occidental-caught-in-gulf-crossfire-as-uae-gas-giant-goes-dark/) — has direct operational skin in that gap.

The flight to Riyadh follows a pattern evident in Occidental Petroleum’s recent flight history: a flurry of short hops across West Texas and the Permian Basin in early June, then a Shannon stopover before the long eastbound leg. Riyadh is a recurring destination for the company, and the visit comes as [Petroleum Australia](https://petroleumaustralia.com.au/news_article/oil-losses-may-double-by-year-end/) notes cumulative global oil supply losses from the war have reached one billion barrels, on track to nearly double by year-end. When paper quotas cannot reach the water, it pays to talk face-to-face.