A controversial flight path trial which prompted thousands of complaints has been hailed a success by Edinburgh Airport.

Chiefs published a report on the path on Monday, which said the exercise had “achieved all of its objectives”.

The trial - which was cut short two months early due to the volume of complaints - found the airport could comfortably allow a flight to take off every minute, rather than every two minutes.

Officials said the “one minute separation times” during peak hours would make the runway more efficient and relieve congestion.

There was a spike in complaints during the trial of the so-called TUTUR flight path, with 7934 reports from 567 individuals.

Between the trial period of June 25 to October 28, there were 21,691 departures from Edinburgh Airport.

Almost three-quarters of the flights departing from the airport flew across parts of West Lothian, and 16% of these followed the new TUTUR departure route.

The trial route involved planes flying adjacent to the A899 Broxburn-Livingston road before turning towards the Firth of Forth.

According to the report, more than half of the complaints were not about the TUTUR flights but were instead about aircraft operating on paths that have existed since the runway was built in the mid-1970s.

The document outlines that five individuals were responsible for 40% of the complaints.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “The report shows the viability of one minute separation times between departing aircraft from Edinburgh Airport during our peak periods – this presents a great opportunity for us to meet the demands of Scotland’s growing international reputation and will enable us to create more jobs and help grow the economy.

“While the trial was a success, there is still work to do both technically and with our neighbouring communities."

He said officials would treat all concerns seriously, however said that the majority of complaints were from “a relatively small number of people who live in pockets of communities in West Lothian”.

He said the findings would be considered alongside further consultation, an environmental impact assessment and more tests. The spokesman added that all options would be considered before a final decision was made about the flight path, and said that there could be scope for an overhaul of all airspace used by aircraft.

However, campaign group Stop Edinburgh Airspace Trial (SEAT) said they were disappointed by the report.

SEAT campaigner Helena Paul said it was "disingenuous" to suggest that the complaints were only made by a handful of people.

She said: "I'm deeply concerned that they are trying to reduce the amount of complaints. I'm very concerned at their emphasis. People's lives were changed by this trial. Flights started coming over at 6am, and didn't stop until midnight. On the worst day, I counted 70 [flights] over my head."

Ms Paul added: "The health impacts are huge and significant - it has a massive impact on residents on the ground."