Wreckage of missing K2 Airways 737-400 freighter found off Pakistan coast
Aircraft lost contact over water while en route from United Arab Emirates to Pakistan. Pakistani search and rescue authorities have found wreckage from the K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 freighter which was declared missing during a flight between Sharjah and Karachi on 7 July. The Pakistani airports authority says the country's navy and the maritime security agency have "successfully located and identified" debris from the twinjet, adding that it was recovered about 53nm south of the coastal region of Ormara. Karachi-based K2 Airways states that the aircraft had five crew members on board when it disappeared over the Arabian Sea. Pakistan’s civil aviation authority says the crew “reported navigational system issue” at 21:18, and was in contact with Karachi area control centre. However, the aircraft was then seen on radar displays to be “rapidly descending” with a “rapid heading change” and contact was lost at 21:21, with the jet 155nm west of Karachi. K2 Airways says it was carrying two pilots, two engineers and a loadmaster. "Search and rescue operations are being conducted by the concerned organisations," it states. Public flight-tracking data, yet to be verified, suggests the aircraft was cruising at 35,000ft, some 1h 20min after departure, when it deviated from its heading and lost altitude over the Arabian Sea. The airline adds that it is "fully co-operating" with the Pakistan civil aviation authority and other agencies. It identifies the missing twinjet as AP-BOI, a 1999 airframe formerly in service with Aeroflot and Garuda Indonesia before being converted to a freighter. The company has not specified the nature of any cargo on board, and whether it included any hazardous goods. K2 Airways is a relatively young carrier, having been established in 2018. The company says its first aircraft arrived in Karachi two years ago, in July 2024.