ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to intensify search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea after a private cargo aircraft travelling from Sharjah to Karachi disappeared from radar late on Tuesday night.
The missing aircraft, a K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo plane, lost contact approximately 300 kilometres west of Karachi while approaching Pakistani airspace.
According to reports, the pilot informed the Karachi Area Control Centre of a navigation problem during the flight and requested assistance. The control centre responded by providing guidance to the aircraft.
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said the aircraft first reported a navigational system issue at 9:18pm. Three minutes later, at 9:21pm, radar showed the plane rapidly descending while making a sharp change in its heading.
Soon afterwards, both radar contact and communication with the aircraft were lost around 287 kilometres west of Karachi, the PAA said.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed concern over the disappearance of the cargo plane and voiced hope that the ongoing search and rescue operation would be successful. In a statement issued by the President House, he extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew members and expressed complete solidarity with them during this difficult time.
According to FlightRadar, the aircraft was registered as AP-BOI and was a Boeing 737-4M0(BDSF) freighter that joined K2 Airways in 2024.
The aircraft was originally delivered to Russia’s Aeroflot as a passenger jet in 1999 before being transferred to Garuda Indonesia in 2004. It was converted into a freighter in 2012 and later operated by TNT Airways and ASL Airlines.
K2 Airways is a private airline based in Karachi. The carrier was established in May 2018 after receiving an airline charter licence from the government.