The report was filed by the Captain of the airliner, which was on approach to Runway 24 at Edinburgh on May 10 this year.

An unknown object came within 10 metres of a landing ATR72 aircraft at Edinburgh Airport causing a definite risk of collision, according to a report from the UK Airprox Board.

The report was filed by the Captain of the airliner, which was on approach to Runway 24 at Edinburgh on May 10 this year.

Occurring at an altitude of 2,200ft, the incident happened way above the legal ceiling for a drone to be operated without special authority from the Civil Aviation Authority.

A UK Airprox Board investigation concluded: "In the Board’s opinion the reported altitude and/or description of the object were such that they were unable to determine the nature of the unknown object."

The board, which protects safety in the air and investigates near misses, said "providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed."

They also said: "Both pilots were looking outside, and both saw an object passing on the left side.

"The first officer saw it passing under the wing and the captain saw it passing left of the left wing at a distance of less than 10m.

"The object was 30-50cm across, according to the pilots, and at a steady altitude while passing them.

"It was unclear if it was a balloon or a drone and the captain believed that the object was red."

Since April, there have been 10 incidents reported to the UK Airprox Board involving balloons or drones which rated a Category C or higher in terms of risk.

In another near miss, a drone came close to an air ambulance helicopter on April 17 this year.

The Eurocopter EC135 was at 1,500ft near Edinburgh, but the UK Airprox Board found there had been no risk of collision.