Cargo plane 'disappears' from radar west of Karachi, search underway

A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft flying from Sharjah to Karachi disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea late Tuesday, Pakistani authorities said.

The plane vanished about 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of Karachi while approaching Pakistani airspace. A search and rescue operation is underway for the five crew members on board.

What happened to the K2 Airways cargo plane?

The K2 Airways Pakistan Cargo flight reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m., the Pakistan Airports Authority said.

The Karachi Area Control Centre assisted the aircraft immediately after the report. Radar data then showed the plane descending rapidly and making a sharp change in heading before contact was lost.

Where did the cargo plane lose contact?

Radar contact and communications were lost at 9:21 p.m., about 287 kilometers (178 miles) west of Karachi, the Pakistan Airports Authority said. Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and its main commercial hub. The aircraft was nearing Pakistani airspace when it vanished from tracking systems.

What caused the cargo plane to disappear from radar?

Flight-tracking service FlightRadar said preliminary ADS-B data showed the aircraft lose altitude, climb, then suddenly and dramatically lose altitude a second time. The final data point placed the plane at 1,100 feet above mean sea level, descending at 22,400 feet per minute. FlightRadar also reported that the aircraft experienced Global Navigation Satellite System interference shortly after takeoff from Sharjah, a problem shared by other aircraft in the region at the time. ADS-B data resumed once the plane exited the area affected by the interference.

What is being done to find the missing plane?

The Rescue Coordination Centre activated a search and rescue operation at sea, involving multiple agencies, after the aircraft went missing. Pakistan's Bureau of Air Safety Investigation will investigate the cause of the crash, authorities said. No update on the crew's condition or the wreckage has been released.

What do we know about K2 Airways and the aircraft?

K2 Airways is a private, Karachi-based carrier established in May 2018 after receiving an airline charter license from the Pakistani government. The missing aircraft, registered as AP-BOI, was a Boeing 737-4M0(BDSF) freighter that joined the K2 Airways fleet in 2024, according to FlightRadar.

The jet was originally delivered to Aeroflot in 1999 as a passenger aircraft, later flew for Garuda Indonesia starting in 2004, and was converted into a freighter in 2012 before operating with TNT Airways and ASL Airlines.