A Pakistani cargo aircraft en route from the UAE to Karachi with five crew members aboard went missing on Tuesday evening, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said. The PAA said a search and rescue operation at sea has been launched through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft. The aircraft was reportedly first delivered as a passenger flight, and later it was converted into a cargo plane.

In a post on X, the PAA said that a K2 Airways B737 Pakistan Cargo flight en route from Sharjah to Karachi reported a navigational system issue at 9.18 pm on Tuesday and was promptly guided by Karachi Area Control Centre (ACC).

Possibly crashed: Flightradar24

Preliminary ADS-B data indicate a possible crash in the sea southwest of Karachi, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking website.

"However, at 9.22 pm, the aircraft was observed on radar rapidly descending with a rapid heading change. Subsequently, radar contact and communication were lost approximately 155 NM west of Karachi," it said.

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The PAA further said that following the occurrence, the Rescue Coordination Centre was activated and a coordinated search and rescue operation at sea was launched through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft. "There were five crew members onboard the aircraft," the PAA said.

Passenger aircraft converted into cargo plane

The missing aircraft is part of Boeing's decades-old 737 family but is two generations older than the 737 MAX version that was involved in a recent safety crisis. It uses engines made by CFM International, jointly owned by GE Aerospace and France's Safran.

The 737-400 was first delivered as a passenger plane to Russia's Aeroflot in 1999 and was converted to a freighter in 2012, according to Flightradar24. It is K2 Airways' only aircraft and entered into service with the carrier in 2024. Before the last flight, it had not flown since June 28, according to Flightradar24 data.

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If casualties are confirmed, the incident would be the first fatal crash in Pakistan since 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 came down short of the runway in Karachi, killing 97 people after pilots were distracted discussing the coronavirus before a failed landing attempt.

(With inputs from agencies)

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