Pakistani authorities have launched a major search and rescue operation after a cargo aircraft that took off from the UAE carrying five crew members disappeared off the coast of Karachi.
The Boeing cargo plane, privately operated by K2 Airways, lost contact with air traffic controllers on Tuesday evening after reporting a technical issue, prompting an emergency response involving both military and civilian agencies.
The aircraft was travelling from Sharjah to Karachi when radar data showed unusual flight movements, including a rapid descent and sudden changes in direction, Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said in a post on X. Search efforts have since expanded into the Arabian Sea as officials race to locate the missing plane.
What we know so far on Pakistan’s missing flight
- According to the PAA, the K2 Airways cargo plane was en route from Sharjah in the UAE to Karachi when the crew reported a problem with the aircraft’s navigational system.
- The aircraft was carrying five crew members. Authorities said contact with the plane was lost on Tuesday evening after it encountered difficulties during the flight.
- The PAA said radar data showed the aircraft behaving abnormally shortly before communication was lost.
- In a statement posted on X, the authority said the aircraft was observed at 9:21 pm Pakistan time “rapidly descending and with rapid heading change.” Contact was lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
- Data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24 suggested the aircraft experienced significant altitude fluctuations in its final moments.
- According to preliminary information, the plane appeared to lose altitude, recover briefly by climbing, and then suffer another steep descent. The service said the data “indicated a loss of altitude, followed by a climb, and then a second, sudden and dramatic loss of altitude.”
- Soon after the aircraft disappeared, authorities activated the Rescue Coordination Center and launched a large-scale search effort at Arabian sea, news agency AFP reported. Pakistan’s military and civilian agencies have deployed multiple air and maritime assets to locate the aircraft and its crew.
- Officials said the Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiqar was redirected to the area where contact was lost. The Pakistan Air Force has also dispatched aircraft, while a Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft took off from Turbat to support the search mission, reported news AP. A merchant vessel operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation has joined the operation.
- The circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s disappearance have puzzled aviation experts. Speaking to local broadcaster ARY News, aviation analyst Imran Aslam said it was too early to determine the cause of the incident. However, he noted that even in the event of an engine failure, aircraft are generally capable of gliding rather than dropping suddenly. “I still cannot understand how the plane went down so abruptly instead of gliding,” he said.
- K2 Airways is a private Pakistani cargo carrier that operates both scheduled and charter services within Pakistan and internationally. According to aviation database Airfleets.net, the aircraft was manufactured in 1999. It initially served as a passenger aircraft with Aeroflot and later with Garuda Indonesia before being converted into a cargo plane in 2012.
