BEIJING: Chinese authorities will limit the operations of North Korean airline Air Koryo, after a Beijing-bound flight made an emergency landing last month, Chinese media reported on Thursday.

The flight from Pyongyang had to land in the North-eastern Chinese city of Shenyang because of smoke in the cabin. No one was injured in the incident.

China's Civil Aviation Administration announced "relevant measures to limit operations" without giving any details. The state-owned airline was also told to improve training and maintenance.

Most of Air Koryo's international flights are to China, with a few scheduled flights to Russia.

"China has become a little bit more active recently in naming and shaming airlines that make mistakes," Greg Waldron of Flightglobal told the BBC. "And we've noticed a recent pick up in that," he added.

"The North Korean airline would likely be a very resource-deprived airline, operating a number of older airplanes. And often, that older equipment is difficult to maintain. By international standards it would not be a great airline."