A Boeing 737 cargo plane operated by K2 Airways has gone missing off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan, prompting a search-and-rescue operation in the Arabian Sea. The aircraft was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it reported a navigation system problem at 9.18pm local time on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Rapid Descent and Loss of Contact
According to Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority, radar data showed the aircraft rapidly descending and making a sharp change in heading at about 9.21pm. It lost radar and radio contact approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. The Boeing 737-400, a 27-year-old converted freighter, was carrying five passengers.
Data from flight tracking site Flightradar24 indicated that the aircraft first lost altitude, briefly climbed, and then experienced another dramatic drop. The last transmitted data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, an extremely steep and abnormal rate of descent, according to Reuters.
Aircraft and Operator Details
Tracking data suggests the plane dropped approximately 35,000 feet in less than two minutes. Pakistan's Geo News reported that the aircraft went missing while flying over the Arabian Sea near Ormara in Balochistan. The Boeing 737-400 was first delivered as a passenger plane to Russia's Aeroflot in 1999 and was converted to a freighter in 2012.
K2 Airways, a private Pakistani cargo airline based at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, operated the aircraft. It was the airline's only aircraft and entered service with the carrier in 2024. Founded in 2017, K2 Airways operates scheduled and charter freighter flights, primarily connecting domestic hubs and regional international destinations.
Investigation and Context
There is no confirmed cause of the disappearance. Officials have only confirmed that the crew reported a navigation system issue shortly before contact was lost. Investigators will examine flight data, communications, and any wreckage recovered before determining what happened.
If casualties are confirmed, this incident would be the first fatal crash in Pakistan since 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed short of the runway in Karachi, killing 97 people.
