ARMED police marched off a British Airways pilot from a plane, just minutes from take off, over fears he was drunk.

Airline crew raised concerns after the pilot of the BA flight, from Gatwick to Mauritius, smelt of alcohol.

They feared for the safety of the 300 passengers on board and rang 999.

A source told The Sun: “Cops rushed onto the plane and headed straight for the cockpit.

“The first officer was cuffed and led away."

The pilot on the Boeing 777 flight 2063 to the Indian Ocean island, which takes 11 hours, was arrested and led away.

The flight was due to leave Gatwick Airport at 8.20pm on Thursday but was delayed until 10.56pm when a replacement pilot was found.

It landed in Mauritius at 2.07pm local time yesterday - nearly two hours later than expected.

A British Airways spokesman said: "A British Airways spokesman said the company was taking the matter extremely seriously and was helping police with their enquiries.

"We are sorry for the delay to our customers. The aircraft remained at the gate until an alternative third pilot joined the flight crew,’ they added.

"The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority."

The Sun said Sussex Police confirmed they were called at 8.25pm and cops went to the South Terminal’s Gate 17.