Organiser Andrew Morton wrote: “Liverpool has John Lennon airport, Belfast has George Best airport and with the death of one of her most famous sons Edinburgh should have a Sir Sean Connery airport.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “If we ever consider renaming the airport then we would have a wealth of famous and historic Scots to consider, and Sean Connery would absolutely be one of those names. There are no current plans to do so.”

Another, more modest, petition has also been launched to rename West Approach Road where Connery was born in 1930. A plaque unveiled by the actor in 2010, which reads “Sean Connery, born Fountainbridge (25th August 1930), Oscar-winning actor, International film star” is in place on Melvin Walk, just around the corner from his childhood neighbourhood.