Karachi: A search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Karachi after a Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members disappeared from radar while approaching Pakistan late Tuesday night.
According to aviation authorities, the K2 Airways cargo flight had departed from Sharjah and was en route to Karachi when air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft. Preliminary information indicates that the crew reported a navigation system issue shortly before communication was severed.
Flight tracking data reportedly showed unusual changes in the aircraft’s altitude during its final moments. The plane is said to have experienced a rapid descent, followed by a brief climb, before another sharp loss of altitude, raising concerns that it may have crashed into the Arabian Sea.
Pakistani authorities have launched an extensive search operation in the suspected area, with rescue teams working to locate the aircraft and the five people on board. No official confirmation has yet been issued regarding the fate of the crew or the aircraft.
K2 Airways is a Karachi-based private cargo carrier that began operations in 2018 under a charter licence issued by the Pakistani government. The Boeing 737 involved in the incident joined the airline’s fleet in 2024 after serving with several international operators over the past two decades.
The aircraft was first flown by Russia’s Aeroflot in 1999 before later operating with Indonesia’s Garuda Indonesia. It was converted into a freighter in 2012 and subsequently served with TNT Airways and ASL Airlines before being acquired by the Pakistani cargo operator.
Authorities have said the investigation will focus on determining the cause of the aircraft’s disappearance, while search teams continue efforts to trace the missing plane and its crew.
