Search Underway After Pakistani Cargo Plane Vanishes Over Arabian Sea

A Boeing 737-400 freighter operated by K2 Airways has gone missing over the Arabian Sea after reporting a navigation fault during a cargo flight from Sharjah to Karachi. Five crew members were on board.

The aircraft, registered AP-BOI and flying as KTA1732, contacted Karachi's Air Traffic Control (ATC) centre at 9:18pm Pakistan Standard Time to report a problem with its navigational systems, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA). Controllers began providing the crew with navigational assistance immediately.

Three minutes later, the situation changed sharply. Radar showed the jet entering a rapid descent alongside a sudden change in heading, before both radar contact and radio communication were lost. The aircraft vanished roughly 155 nautical miles, about 300 kilometres, west of Karachi.

Preliminary tracking data from Flightradar24 outlines the flight's final moments. The last recorded data point, at 16:21 UTC, placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above the sea, descending at 22,400 feet per minute with a ground speed of just 114 knots. Those figures point to an uncontrolled dive rather than a deliberate emergency descent.

Pakistan's Rescue Coordination Centre activated a multi-agency search shortly after contact was lost. The navy diverted the vessel PNS Zulfiqar to the area, while the Pakistan Air Force launched a Saab surveillance aircraft from Bolhari. As of Wednesday, authorities had not formally confirmed a crash, though officials say the flight data leaves little room for optimism.

The aircraft has a long service history. It entered service with Aeroflot as a passenger jet in 1999, before flying for Garuda Indonesia from 2004. It was converted into a freighter in 2012 and subsequently operated by TNT Airways and ASL Airlines Belgium, before a spell with FedEx from 2017. K2 Airways took delivery of the aircraft in October 2024, and it was the only aircraft in the carrier's fleet.

Investigators have not yet disclosed a cause for the reported navigational malfunction. Regional aviation trackers noted that other aircraft in the area experienced Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference around the same period, though it remains unclear whether this played any role in the incident.

Karachi's Jinnah International Airport was the aircraft's scheduled destination. The flight would have completed a routine cargo run between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, a route commonly used for freight movement between the Gulf and South Asia.

No further details on the condition of the crew have been released. Authorities say updates will follow once search teams complete their assessment of the area and gather additional information from vessels and aircraft involved in the operation.