The aircraft, operated by private cargo airline K2 Airways, reported the navigational problem at 9:18 pm Pakistan Standard Time, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).
The authority said air traffic controllers guided the flight after the report. However, at 9:21 pm, radar showed the aircraft “rapidly descending and with rapid heading change” before radar and communication contact were lost about 155 nautical miles (287 km) west of Karachi.
K2 Airways B 737 of Pakistan Cargo Flight enroute from Sharjah to Karachi at time 2118PST reported Navigational system issue and was promptly guided by KARACHI ACC.
— Pakistan Airports Authority (@Pk_PAA_Official) July 7, 2026
The PAA activated its Rescue Coordination Centre and launched a coordinated search and rescue operation at sea through multiple agencies. Pakistan’s military and civilian authorities deployed air and sea assets, including the Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiqar, Pakistan Air Force aircraft, a Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft from Turbat and a Pakistan National Shipping Corporation merchant vessel.
Following the occurrence RESCUE COORD CENTRE has been activated and coordinated Search & Rescue launched at sea through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft.
There were five crew members onboard the aircraft.
— Pakistan Airports Authority (@Pk_PAA_Official) July 7, 2026
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said preliminary ADS-B data indicated a possible crash in the Arabian Sea southwest of Karachi, but authorities have not confirmed the aircraft’s fate. The service said the aircraft first lost altitude, briefly climbed and then suffered “a second, sudden and dramatic loss of altitude.”
The last transmitted data placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above mean sea level with a reported vertical descent rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute.
Flightradar24 also said the aircraft experienced GNSS interference shortly after take-off near Sharjah, resulting in degraded tracking data before ADS-B signals resumed after it exited the affected area.
K2 Airways #KTA1732 is reportedly missing. Preliminary ADS-B data indicate a possible crash in the sea southwest of Karachi. https://t.co/IIMDHaGTAy pic.twitter.com/KbyI5kKmh1
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 7, 2026
The missing aircraft was a Boeing 737-400 converted freighter operated by K2 Airways. It originally entered service as a passenger aircraft with Aeroflot in 1999, later flew for Garuda Indonesia, was converted into a freighter in 2012, and entered service with K2 Airways in 2024.
The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance remains unknown. Aviation expert Imran Aslam told ARY News that even if an aircraft suffered an engine failure, it would normally continue gliding rather than descend abruptly. “I still cannot understand how the plane went down so abruptly instead of gliding,” he said.
(With input from agencies)
