Passengers evacuated from an Air Busan plane that was engulfed in flames this week at a South Korean airport will have their checked baggage returned to them, after authorities on Friday deemed the jet safe for a full investigation.

The authorities decided to proceed with the joint investigation to determine the cause of the recent blaze aboard an Air Busan without first removing the aviation fuel, the Transport Ministry announced Friday.

A passenger plane has caught fire before takeoff at an airport in South Korea, but all 176 people on board have been safely evacuated.

Shares of Air Busan dropped on Friday, after a plane belonging to the budget carrier caught fire earlier this week.

Concerns have been raised about the safety risk of bringing portable batteries in carry-on luggage for flights, as a lithium-ion battery is suspected as the cause of the fire that

South Korean officials are launching an investigation into the cause of the fire that engulfed an Air Busan passenger plane, with eyewitness accounts suggesting a power bank may have sparked the blaze.

BUSAN, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- Authorities decided to begin a joint investigation of a fire-destroyed Air Busan plane early next week, officials said Friday, after completing safety checks on a large amount of fuel that is still stored at the wings of the plane.

An Airbus plane belonging to South Korean carrier Air Busan caught fire on Tuesday at Gimhae International Airport in the country’s south while preparing for departure to Hong Kong, fire authorities said.

The fire broke out in the back of the cabin, officials said. All 176 people on board, including passengers and crew members, were evacuated, some with minor injuries.

All 176 people were evacuated from an Air Busan jet that caught on fire at a South Korean airport, with reports suggesting a battery could be the cause.