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A Flybe pilot who was arrested on suspicion of being over the legal drink driving limit will not face any criminal charges.

The 78-seat twin-engine plane was moments away from take-off at Newquay Cornwall Airport in October when the 48-year-old man was removed from the aircraft and breath-tested by police.

The flight to London Gatwick Airport was cancelled and passengers were delayed for hours after crew member raised concerns.

 The flight was cancelled and passengers were delayed for hours following the pilot's arrest

Devon and Cornwall Police announced that the pilot, from Crediton, Devon, would not face any criminal charges in relation to the incident.

They previously said he had been released on bail and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

In the UK the drink drive limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The pilot was removed from the plane and breath-tested by police at Newquay Cornwall Airport (file picture)

For pilots the blood-alcohol limit is lower, at 20 milligrammes per 100 millilitres.

Passengers were told the pilot was 'unwell' after he was removed from the Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop.

One traveller missed a connection flight to Mexico from Gatwick because of the delay, while others were delayed for up to five hours.

While incredibly rare, it was not the first instance of a pilot suspected of being under the influence at a UK airport.

One traveller missed a connection flight to Mexico from Gatwick because of the delay

Last year, a Pakistani International Airlines pilot was jailed for nine months in Britain for being drunk before he was due to fly a plane with 156 people on board.

Irfan Faiz, 55, was found to have three times the legal amount of alcohol in his blood, prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court.

The father-of-two was asked to leave the cockpit during checks for the flight from Leeds Bradford International Airport to Islamabad on September 18, 2013, because he smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet.

In the US, 48 year-old American Eagle pilot Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen was removed from the cockpit after airline employees detected alcohol on his breath before a flight from Minneapolis to New York City.

He later pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to two months in jail and 240 hours of community service, in addition to a fine of nearly £2,000.