The Unite union said the industrial action was supported by 85% (275) of the membership on a 75% turnout.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Unite’s members at Edinburgh airport have emphatically backed strike action. The pay offer on the table is nowhere near good enough and airport bosses know it.

"A realistic pay offer needs to be put on the table which values our members in the same way as our members at Gatwick airport. Unite will always support our members in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions."

Unite members at Edinburgh rejected an "inferior" pay offer to the one made to Gatwick staff, where a 12% increase plus a £1,500 one-off cash payment has been offered, and accepted by the workforce. 

A spokesperson for Edinburgh airport described the move by Unite as a "disappointing decision", as it claimed it met the ask of its unions – an 11% pay rise along with a £1,000 cost of living payment.

"We have made an improved offer to staff, with a 50% increase in the cost of living payment proposed," they added. "This has not yet been balloted on.

"We have proposed a deal that is well above what has been offered to many other workers in Scotland and is well above inflation."