A aircraft carrying five crew members disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea on Tuesday night, shortly after reporting a navigational system issue while flying from Sharjah in the to Karachi.
The -400 cargo aircraft, operated by private carrier K2 Airways, lost contact approximately 155 nautical miles (287 kilometres) west of Karachi, prompting Pakistan to launch a large-scale search-and-rescue operation involving the Navy, Air Force and several civilian agencies.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), the crew reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 pm local time (2118 PST).
Karachi Area Control Centre (ACC) immediately provided navigational assistance.
“However, at 2121 PST, the aircraft was observed on radar rapidly descending with a rapid heading change. Subsequently, radar contact and communication were lost approximately 155 NM west of Karachi,” the PAA said in a statement.
Search Operation Expanded Across Arabian Sea
Following the loss of contact, the PAA activated its Rescue Coordination Centre and launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation at sea.
Geo News reported that Pakistan has significantly expanded the search effort, deploying additional naval vessels and military aircraft to locate the missing plane.
According to sources cited by the broadcaster, the Pakistan Navy has dispatched the warship PNS Zulfiqar, while a Pakistan Air Force Saab surveillance aircraft is scanning the search zone from the air.
A Navy ATR aircraft has also been deployed from Turbat, and another naval vessel, PNS Hunain, has joined the operation. Commercial ships operated by the National Shipping Corporation have also been pressed into service to assist in the search, bringing together military and civilian resources.
Government officials familiar with the matter also told Bloomberg that Pakistan has deployed Navy and Air Force assets, including a frigate, to support the rescue mission.
Flight Tracking Data Shows Dramatic Altitude Changes
Preliminary flight tracking data released by Flightradar24 suggested the aircraft experienced significant fluctuations in altitude during its final moments.
According to the flight tracking platform, the Boeing 737 first lost altitude, then briefly climbed before suffering a “second, sudden and dramatic loss of altitude.”
The Pakistan Airports Authority has not disclosed the cause of the incident or provided any official information about the condition of the aircraft or its crew.
About The Aircraft And K2 Airways
The missing aircraft was a 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 freighter and the only aircraft registered to K2 Airways, a private airline based in Karachi that was established in May 2018.
According to aviation data provider Cirium, the aircraft joined K2 Airways in 2024 under a lease agreement from AerCap. Before joining the Pakistani airline, it had served multiple operators as both a passenger aircraft and a cargo jet. Its previous recorded flight took place on June 28.
The aircraft had departed from Sharjah and was operating a route that typically takes less than two hours.
Pakistan’s Aviation Safety Under Scrutiny
The incident has once again drawn attention to Pakistan’s aviation safety record, which has witnessed several fatal crashes over the past two decades.
The country’s most recent major aviation disaster occurred in 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines passenger jet crashed during a failed landing attempt, killing 97 people on board and one person on the ground.
As search operations continue in the Arabian Sea, authorities are yet to determine what led to the disappearance of the K2 Airways cargo aircraft or the fate of the five crew members on board. The Pakistan Airports Authority said the rescue operation remains underway in coordination with multiple agencies.
