Former WA politician Alannah MacTiernan suffers bruised face and broken ribs during extreme turbulence on Emirates flight

Former Western Australia Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan is nursing a bruised face and broken ribs after being caught up in a nightmare mid-air incident.

Emirates flight EK421 from Perth to Dubai hit severe turbulence on Tuesday, injuring a dozen passengers.

Several passengers were sent smashing into the ceiling and a number of crew were also injured.

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MacTiernan told a local newspaper she had been on her way to the COP28 climate conference when she was flung out of her business class seat as the aircraft plunged.

"I could barely move and was in quite a lot of pain. I took the full force on my chest and I also knocked my head quite badly," she told The West.

"It was complete chaos, which you can understand at the moment and, I guess, immediately after because there were a lot of people hurt, including some of the crew."

The incident occurred a few hours before landing and during that time MacTiernan's face became swollen and badly bruised, she said.

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A CT scan showed the former politician had broken three ribs.

Emirates confirmed the "unfortunate" incident, saying that medical staff assessed injured passengers and staff.

"We can confirm that flight EK421 from Perth to Dubai on 4 December briefly encountered unexpected turbulence mid-flight," an Emirates spokesperson said.

"While onboard, those injured were assessed and assisted by our crew and medically-trained volunteers, with additional medical support provided via satellite link.

"The flight was met by medical services on landing, and Emirates has also deployed its care team to ensure the injured passengers and crew are provided all possible support."