The K2 Airways office sealed by authorities in Karachi marks the start of a formal investigation into one of the most alarming aviation incidents Pakistan has seen in years. On the night of July 7, 2026, the airline’s sole Boeing 737-400 cargo plane vanished over the Arabian Sea while flying from Sharjah to Karachi, with five crew members on board. As a large search operation continues with no sign of wreckage or survivors, here is everything we know.
What Happened to the K2 Airways Flight
The Karachi-bound 737-400 plane took off from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and lost contact with air traffic control at about 9:18 PM Pakistan time after reporting a navigational system fault, the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
At 9:21 PM, air traffic controllers observed the aircraft making a rapid descent accompanied by a sudden change in heading on radar. Shortly afterwards, both radar contact and communication with the aircraft were lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
Minutes later, data from Flightradar24 showed the plane losing nearly 1,525 metres of altitude in less than a minute before climbing about 1,830 metres in the next 30 seconds. It then entered a final, near-vertical descent from a height of 11,140 metres. This sequence of events strongly suggested a serious structural or mechanical failure in the air.
K2 Airways Office Sealed, Probe Launched
In the hours after the plane disappeared, sources confirmed that the K2 Airways office sealed as part of the government’s initial response to the incident. Sealing an airline’s premises is a standard step that regulators and investigators take after a major aviation event. It helps preserve records, documents, maintenance logs, and any other evidence that could explain what went wrong.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) released an official statement confirming the facts of the disappearance. The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority released a statement confirming that the K2 Airways Boeing 737 reported a navigational system issue and was guided by Karachi ACC, but at 9:21 PM radar showed rapid descent and heading change, after which radar contact and communication were lost 155 nautical miles west of Karachi, and the Rescue Coordination Centre was activated.
With the K2 Airways office sealed, investigators will now go through all available paperwork. This will include the plane’s maintenance history, crew certifications, cargo manifests, and the airline’s safety compliance records. The outcome of that review will shape how regulators treat the airline going forward.
About the Aircraft and the Crew
The 27-year-old K2 Airways 737-400 had flown for six operators. Delivered to Russia’s Aeroflot as a passenger aircraft in 1999, it later flew for Garuda Indonesia before being converted into a freighter in 2012 for Belgium’s TNT Airways.
Irish company AerCap reactivated the aircraft in April 2024 before placing it back into storage, first in Jakarta and later in Karachi, where it remained for nearly six months before entering service with K2 Airways in December 2024. The plane, registration AP-BOI, was the only aircraft in K2 Airways’ entire fleet.
The five crew members are Mohammad Rizwan Idrees (Pilot in Command), Faisal Mehmood (First Officer), Muhammad Toufique Khan (Load Master), Arif Siddiqui (Engineer), and Mohammad Hamid (Engineer).
Multi-Agency Search Still Ongoing
Pakistan Navy’s warship PNS Zulfiqar was dispatched to the affected area. A Pakistan Air Force SAAB plane and a Pakistan Navy ATR plane also took off to join the search. Pakistan National Shipping Corporation’s commercial ship Lahore was also deployed for the search and rescue operation.
No wreckage or survivors have been found so far. The search covers a wide stretch of the Arabian Sea south-west of Karachi. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the incident and offered his sympathies to the families of the missing crew members.
K2 Airways said it was fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies after one of its cargo aircraft disappeared, expressing hope for the safe recovery of its five crew members.
A Young Airline, a Heavy Loss
K2 Airways received its Air Operator’s Certificate on December 20, 2024, and subsequently began flight operations a week later on December 27, launching its inaugural flight from Karachi to Lahore. In other words, the airline had been flying for less than seven months when this incident happened.
K2 Airways Cargo had also commenced a Lahore to Tashkent cargo service on April 28, 2026, with its Boeing 737-400F aircraft. That growth now hangs in the balance. With the K2 Airways office sealed and its only plane missing, the airline’s future operations are deeply uncertain.
If a crash is confirmed, the incident would mark Pakistan’s first major civilian air disaster since May 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed short of the runway in Karachi, killing 97 of the 99 people on board.
Pakistan’s Pakistan Airports Authority will play a key role in the ongoing investigation alongside the PCAA and other government bodies. The search for the aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, if the wreckage is found in the sea, will be critical to understanding what caused the rapid descent.
For more background on the initial disappearance, read our earlier report: K2 Airways cargo plane goes missing near Karachi with five crew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the K2 Airways office sealed?
Authorities sealed the K2 Airways office in Karachi as a standard step in a serious aviation investigation. Sealing the premises helps preserve documents, maintenance logs, and other records that investigators need to find out what caused the plane to disappear.
What plane was involved and how old was it?
The plane was a Boeing 737-400 converted freighter, registered AP-BOI. It was 27 years old and had flown for multiple airlines before joining K2 Airways in late 2024. It was the only aircraft the airline owned.
How many crew members were on board?
Five crew members were on board: a pilot in command, a first officer, a load master, and two engineers. Their names have been officially confirmed by the airline.
Has any wreckage been found?
As of July 8, 2026, no wreckage, debris, or survivors have been located despite a large multi-agency search involving navy ships, merchant vessels, and military aircraft across the Arabian Sea west of Karachi.
