A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 aircraft of a Pakistan Cargo flight coming from Sharjah to Karachi has gone missing in the sea near Karachi, Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) confirmed here on Tuesday. According to sources, a search and rescue operation has been launched for the missing aircraft in sea. In the ongoing search and rescue operation, the Pakistan Navy warship PNS Zulfiqar has reached the area. A Pakistan Air Force SAAB aircraft is participating in the search operation.

K2 Airways is a Karachi-based private airline that was established in May 2018 after receiving an airline charter licence from the government. According to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), the Boeing 737 cargo aircraft, operating a K2 Airways Pakistan Cargo flight from Sharjah to Karachi, was carrying five crew members. The aircraft reported a navigational system malfunction at 9:18pm, after which the Karachi Area Control Centre (ACC) immediately provided navigational assistance.

The Pakistan Navy's ATR aircraft has also taken off from Turbat and joined the search operation. The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation's commercial ship Lahore has also been deployed for search and rescue operations. The Pakistan Airports Authority has confirmed the missing of a private company plane. According to a PAA spokesperson, contact was lost with a private cargo plane coming from Sharjah to Karachi during the flight.

The PAA spokesperson said that the cargo plane reported a malfunction in the navigation system during the flight. Karachi ACC provided immediate guidance to the plane. The plane suddenly descended rapidly and also changed direction. The plane disappeared from radar approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Radar and communication links with the plane were simultaneously lost. After the incident, the Rescue Coordination Center was immediately activated, and a search and rescue operation was launched at sea to search for the missing cargo plane.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)