Twenty passengers of an Emirates flight from Dubai to Kochi in India suffered minor injuries when their aircraft hit an air pocket and dropped suddenly, reports said.

The aircraft fell sharply from 20,000 feet to 5,000 feet before the pilot could bring it back under control, a report in the Times of India website said.

After the plane landed at the airport here, a team of doctors examined all those passengers who suffered shock and bruises.

However, an Emirates official said the EK530 from Dubai to Kochi encountered a short period of heavy turbulence while cruising at 35,000 feet. It experienced a 200-foot descent in altitude, he said.

'There were 350 passengers on board the flight, 20 of whom suffered minor injuries. The aircraft landed safely and the captain requested medical support to meet the aircraft - all affected passengers were treated and have now been released,' said Majid Al Mualla, senior vice president, Commercial Operations West Asia & Indian Ocean.

'The ‘fasten your seatbelt’ sign was on prior to the period of turbulence. Emirates places the highest importance on the safety of our passengers and staff,' he added.

An air pocket is a downward air current that causes an aircraft to lose altitude abruptly. It is a localised region of low air density or a descending air current, causing an aircraft to suffer an abrupt decrease in height.