Target jet returns to Minneapolis as retailer pushes supply-chain overhaul

Target flew from Beaver Lake Seaplane Base in Arkansas to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on June 11, a 2-hour-29-minute hop that brought the Gulfstream G280, tail number N484EM, back to the retailer’s home base. The flight arrived just before midnight local time, capping a week of shuttles that included stops near Philadelphia, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

The return lands the same week Target executives are publicly detailing the company’s supply-chain modernization push, following a first-quarter earnings report on May 20 that beat expectations. Net sales grew 6.7 percent year over year, per [corporate.target.com](https://corporate.target.com/press/release/2026/05/target-corporation-reports-first-quarter-earnings), and the company has since announced new warehouse facilities in Colorado and Texas, including a “receive center” in Houston designed to handle 25 million cartons annually, as [FreightWaves reported](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/target-moves-to-elevate-supply-chain-operations-inventory-reliability). CEO Michael Fiddelke, who took over in February, has made inventory reliability and store-level execution the centerpiece of his turnaround strategy.

The pattern is familiar for Target’s three-plane fleet: the G280 frequently visits Houston, Chicago, and other major markets, but the Arkansas stop is less common. Beaver Lake is a private seaplane base near Bentonville, home to Walmart’s headquarters—a reminder that even the second-largest discount retailer keeps tabs on the competition, however briefly, before heading home to fine-tune the next quarter’s plan.