Next week El Al is cutting back on its luggage allowances, restricting economy passengers to 23kg and just one bag. So what is the answer to every Jewish traveller's eternal problem - how to arrive at your destination (particularly if you are flying to Israel) with as much as possible in your luggage, while simultaneously avoiding huge extra baggage charges?

In one of the most impressive rescue missions in history, Israel achieved what seemed impossible. In a day, as Jews around the world celebrated Shavuot, more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel, the country they had long hoped to see.

On May Sabena flight 571 from Brussels to Tel Aviv was hijacked outside of Vienna with 90 passengers and 10 crew members on board.

A terrorist jailed for 45 years in 1986 for plotting to blow up an Israeli plane could be released early after High Court judges ruled against the government.

The British captain of a boat carrying Jewish pro-Palestinian activists who planned to break the blockade of Gaza has described how Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded the vessel.

Glyn Secker, 66, a member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians (JfJfP), said that the voyage had "succeeded beyond expectations" despite failing to reach Gaza and the crew members' immediate deportation from Israel.

With soaring competition, the recession and ongoing unrest in the Middle East, El Al has had a tough few years: the national carrier lost around 10 per cent of its market share of UK passengers flying to Israel over 2008 and 2009.

But the airline is battling back. Uri Danoor, chief executive of its operations in the UK, northern Europe and South Africa, says that the airline has come up with new ways of clawing back business.

El Al, Easyjet and British Airways have all resumed flights to Israel today after the disruption to air traffic meant many Israelis missed Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations.

Of the two El Al flights due to leave Heathrow today, one will carry passengers originally booked on the flight and one has been cancelled. Two additional flights have been arranged for today departing from Luton.

Both the Easyjet flights to Tel Aviv from London Luton will run as normal but all online boarding has been cancelled and all passengers must now check in at the airport.

El Al has resumed flights to Zurich, Paris, Marseilles, Vienna and Budapest, but London airspace remains closed.

The company’s spokesman confirmed that some European flights would be resuming, but not those to London. Scottish airspace including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh airports opened at 1pm today, and Newcastle Airport was also receiving flights.

El Al flies from London Luton and London Heathrow to Tel Aviv.

Families looking forward to Pesach in Israel may face heartbreak as a result of the proposed British Airways cabin crew strike.

BA has cancelled all flights to Israel this weekend and will not resume until Tuesday. However, the main travel time is the following weekend — March 26 - 28 .

Former United Synagogue property director Alan Koch was one of those whose Pesach plans could be ruined by the strike.

El Al has announced it is to operate three daily flights in each direction between Ben Gurion and Eilat, commencing in March.

The airline, which ceased direct flights between the UK and Eilat in 2007, is adding the internal flights to improve access to Israel’s Red Sea resort for visitors flying in to Israel from Britain and other, mainly European, destinations.

Israeli and Jewish aid organisations have flown to Port-au-Prince to deal with the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake which may have killed up to 100,000 people.

El Al has sent two planes, one cargo and another for passengers, and an IDF delegation is due to arrive in the Carribean country today with experts in engineering, medicine and rescue tactics.

IsraAID have also dispatched a 12-man search-and-rescue team to Haiti.

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic is reported to be in talks with El Al about a possible deal between the two airlines.

A number of options were under consideration and a takeover or substantial investment in El Al by Virgin Atlantic had not been ruled out, a source told Globes Online

But Shoma Amin, a spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic was quick to deny rumours.She said: "We explore many opportunities but can confirm we will not be taking over or investing in El Al."

El Al will roll out a ‘no-frills’ ticket on its scheduled flights from Israel, where tickets from £121 will be supplemented with charges for extras like meals and baggage.

Tickets are already being sold on the maiden budget flight from Tel Aviv to Rome in August.

But London flyers thinking of a low-cost El Al flight to Beijing or Bangkok without a meal will be disappointed: the airline is only offering its no-frills fares on short-haul flights.