Edinburgh Airport supports more than 23,000 jobs and brings in nearly £1bn to the Scottish economy every year, according to a new report.

A report by consultancy firm Biggar Economies examined the economic impact of the airport, which is the biggest in Scotland, and looked its the direct and indirect benefits to the economy.

The report found that the airport currently generates £955.4m for Scotland's economy, £507.1m of which is retained in the Edinburgh area.

It also supports 23,340 jobs, 12,330 of which are in the Scottish capital, with airport and on-site operations contributing £400.3m and 8,276 jobs.

Passenger expenditure supported 9,620 jobs and contributed £301.9m to the economy per year.

The study estimates that the airport, which handles more than 11 million passengers a year, will be worth between £1.1bn and £1bn to the Scottish economy by 2020.

Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport's chief executive, told the BBC: "Edinburgh Airport is an increasingly important economic asset for the country as a whole, and these figures demonstrate just how important a competitive airport is for a country with Scotland's ambition and international profile

"Our growth in recent years has been supported by one of the largest private investments of its kind in national infrastructure, to build new facilities and attract an unprecedented number of new, direct international connections to Scotland

"The result, as the Biggar report shows, is nearly £1bn of economic value and a social impact that extends to more than 20,000 jobs. Those figures will increase and by 2020, we could be supporting twice as many jobs as we do now."

The airport reported its busiest February on record earlier this month, with 770,265 passengers passing through last month.