Occidental Petroleum lands in Midland the week it sheds Permian assets to Hilcorp

Occidental Petroleum flew from Houston to Midland on Tuesday morning, June 16, landing its Embraer ERJ-175 at Midland International Air and Space Port after a one-hour-and-twenty-minute hop from George Bush Intercontinental. The flight touched down at 9:15 a.m. local time.

The same week, news emerged that Occidental Petroleum has transferred a bundle of air permits in Hockley, Gaines, Ector, and other West Texas counties to Hilcorp Energy, as reported by [oilgasleads.com](https://oilgasleads.com/oxy-sheds-non-core-permian-assets-as-hilcorp-expands-its-midland-basin-footprint/). The move fits a pattern: since closing the CrownRock acquisition, the company has been concentrating capital on higher-return development areas while shedding mature acreage. Midland is the operational nerve center for that Permian strategy.

The company’s fleet has been busy in the basin all week. The same ERJ-175 flew from Midland to Houston on June 11, then back to Midland on June 15, and again on June 16. These trips track a company tightening its focus on the most economic portions of the Permian, where most of its current drilling activity is concentrated.