But as the ash cloud dispersed, the first Israel-bound flight for 10 days finally took off from Manchester Airport yesterday.

Jet2’s flight from Manchester to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport left just 17 minutes late – carried passengers who had been unable to return home after Pesach and for Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Len Horwich, a passenger on last night’s return flight back to Manchester from Israel said: “I think people who planned to come back last week are relieved.

“But for most it is not that big of an inconvenience.”

He added: “I am delighted to be on my way to see my kids!”

Travel agent Mandy Marcus, of Goodmos Tours, said she was surprised by how brilliantly Jet2 had handled the situation.

“I think they’ve been marvellous and most of our clients who were stranded in Israel will be home by the weekend,” she said.

“I feel sorry for the airlines because they’ve lost so much money – but the most important thing is that they’ve not lost people.”

Earlier in the week, the low-cost airline worked around the clock and brought back stranded passengers by land.

They hired 70 coaches to bring people back from France, Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Ian Doubtfire, managing director of Jet2.com, thanked customers “for their patience and understanding during such extraordinary circumstances”.

Meanwhile Adrian Cohen, of Israel Travel Service, applauded El Al for their efforts in getting large tour groups back to England.

Mr Cohen said: “El Al have been superb and the whole situation has been handled excellently.

“All our stranded clients are now home.”

El Al began an air shuttle service from Madrid – using the Spanish capital as a hub – after Israel’s Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz called on them to do everything possible to bring stranded Israelis home.

Yesterday, the Israeli airline began running a normal schedule.

And as operations return to normal, travel agents are standing by the decision to enforce a blanket flight ban for six days – despite suggestions that it was unnecessary.

Goodmos Tours said: “We don’t think people should have a go at the government or airlines because they have done the right thing,

“At least there have been no accidents.”

But with more than 20,000 flights a day, grounded Adam Huberman, of tour operator ISSTA, said that the resulting scale of disruption was worse than 9/11.

“That catastrophe didn’t affect every single flight over Europe, but this has,” he said.

The number of holidaymakers who have asked for help, despite not using a travel agent’s services, has astounded the many travel agents.

“People who have booked their holidays independently on the Internet, who we have never dealt with, have just expected us to help them,” explained Goodmos’ Miss Marcus.

“I think the volcano has taught people a lesson to use travel agents because in situations like this we are their only point of contact.”

ITS’ Adrian Cohen echoed this point when he said that those who booked flights or hotels on the Internet in effect become travel agents.

“This should be a lesson to those people who are stranded with no agent looking after them,” he said.