Delta’s Edinburgh-Atlanta service took off late last week, reconnecting Scotland’s capital with the state of Georgia for the first time since 2007.

The route, announced last September, had been due to operate five-times-weekly but was extended to daily "due to strong demand from both sides of the Atlantic".

Delta will operate the route daily this summer until 5 September using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

It will also operate its seasonal Edinburgh-Boston route daily this summer, as well as its year-round New York JFK service.

Edinburgh claims its transatlantic capacity is now one-and-a-half times greater than it was pre-pandemic "as inbound and outbound transatlantic tourism continues to rebound".

The direct Atlanta link will significantly expand connectivity options for Scottish travellers on the other side of the Atlantic.

Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh airport chief executive, said the route "showed the strong demand and confidence in our market".

Delta sales director Europe, Paul Hassenstab, said the resumption of its Edinburgh-Atlanta route opened up more than 200 onward connections across the US and beyond.

"With positive demand for all our Scottish services both from business and leisure customers, we have grown our schedule between Scotland and the US by 90% compared with last year," he added.

Scotland’s transport minister Kevin Stewart said the route came as a "real demonstration of confidence in the Scottish market".