Pakistan cargo plane disappears over Arabian Sea after navigation problem

A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane carrying five people vanished over the Arabian Sea after its crew reported a navigation-system problem and the aircraft suddenly dropped off radar. The K2 Airways flight was on its way from Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi when contact was lost.

The crew reported the problem at about 9:18 p.m. local time on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Radar data showed the aircraft rapidly descending and making a sharp change in heading around 9:21 p.m. before radar and radio contact ended about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. The aircraft was identified as AP-BOI.

Pakistan’s Rescue Coordination Center was activated as search-and-rescue teams moved into the Arabian Sea. The Pakistan Navy diverted the frigate PNS Zulfiqar to the last known area, while a Navy ATR aircraft, Pakistan Air Force assets, and a Pakistan National Shipping Corporation vessel joined the search. Authorities had not confirmed a crash site or found wreckage as the effort expanded offshore.

K2 Airways, a private cargo airline based in Karachi, was established in May 2018. Aviation expert Imran Aslam told local ARY News that it remained unclear why the aircraft went down so abruptly, adding that even with an engine failure an aircraft would normally glide rather than plunge suddenly.

The incident also revived painful memories of Pakistan’s deadliest recent aviation disaster, the May 22, 2020 Pakistan International Airlines crash near Karachi. That crash killed 97 of the 99 people on board and was later attributed by the government to human error by the pilot, co-pilot, and air traffic control.