Prime Minister Orders Accelerated Search and Rescue After Cargo Aircraft Vanishes from Radar Over Arabian Sea

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to accelerate search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea following the disappearance of a private cargo aircraft en route from Sharjah to Karachi late Tuesday night.

A K2 Airways Boeing 737‑400 freighter vanished from radar coverage over the Arabian Sea, roughly 300 kilometres west of Karachi, late Tuesday night.

K2 Airways is a privately held carrier headquartered in Karachi, founded in May 2018 after receiving a national airline charter licence.

According to reports, the aircraft lost contact while nearing Pakistani airspace. The pilot declared a navigation issue and sought assistance from the area control centre.

On Wednesday, state‑run Radio Pakistan reported that the Prime Minister had directed the CAA, the navy and the PAF to employ all available resources in the search effort, while expressing heartfelt sympathies to the families of the five crew members aboard the aircraft.

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) stated on Tuesday night that the aircraft reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m. and was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Centre.

At 9:21 p.m., radar detected the aircraft “rapidly descending” and executing a sharp heading change.

Subsequently, “radar contact and communication were lost” roughly 287 kilometres west of Karachi, the PAA reported.

According to FlightRadar, the aircraft—registered as AP‑BOI—is a Boeing 737‑4M0(BDSF) that entered service with K2 Airways in 2024.

Originally delivered to Aeroflot as a passenger jet in 1999, the aircraft later joined Garuda Indonesia in 2004. It was converted to a freighter in 2012 and subsequently operated by TNT Airways and ASL Airlines.

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