A commercial flight was delayed until a new pilot was found after the pilot originally designated to fly the plane was discovered to be drunk, shortly before take-off.

Police arrested the American Eagle pilot after he failed a blood-alcohol breath test before he was scheduled to fly from Minneapolis to New York City Thursday, according to The New York Post.

Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen was running pre-flight checks at approximately 6:30 a.m. when police, acting on a tip, boarded the plane and made him take a breathalyzer.

He was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol.

“These incidents are very rare,” airport spokesman Patrick Hogan told the Post. “But every few years, we’ll have a case. We have nearly half a million flights come in and out and we have one case every three or four years.”

Passengers had yet to board for the flight, which was delayed two and a half hours while a replacement pilot was found, according to Matt Miller, a spokesman for the airline’s sister company, American Airlines.

Kristiansen is suspended pending an investigation.

The alcohol limit for flying is even lower than the one for driving, with a .04 threshold in Minnesota.

•Photo: Kristiansen has been suspended pending an investigation.