Great Britain's athletes have arrived home from Beijing after their best Olympic performance for a century.

Team GB landed at Heathrow shortly after 3pm after being carried home by a British Airways Boeing 747 that boasted a gold-tipped nose cone in honour of their success and featured a message reading "Proud to bring our British heroes home". The team finished fourth in the medal table winning 19 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals.

Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington and Ben Ainslie were among the first gold-medal winners to emerge from the plane, closely followed by Steve Williams, a member of the victorious men's coxless four.

"We have all been so looking forward to coming home and it is amazing, just fantastic," Hoy said. "You live in a bubble in the village and really have no idea what is happening at home - it is only when you land and arrive here that you see.

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"It is just incredible - the nation has got behind us, it is fantastic."

Despite his success in Beijing, Hoy laughed off suggestions he may receive a knighthood in recognition of his achievements.

"I think that's ridiculous to be honest," he said. "It's such a nice thing to think that people are getting a bit of interest in minority sports, so if we can do anything to raise the profile of our own sports then it'll be fantastic."

Adlington, who is also tipped for an honour, added: "Both me and Chris came out here to just try our best to get a medal. Anything else that comes our way is an added bonus. I had my own expectations but it wasn't two gold medals, at all, and a world record."

Adlington also said she was surprised by plans to rename a pub in her hometown of Mansfield as the Adlington Arms.

"I wasn't aware of that at all, I didn't know about the pub," she said. "It's only a small town and I love living there. I just feel honoured coming from there let alone having something named after me."

The remainder of Team GB's gold medal winners were next off the plane as Gordon Brown, Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, and Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, greeted each athlete individually.

But despite all the hype surrounding their return, the athletes were not treated to a heroes' welcome, after BAA expressed concern about large crowds. Instead, the GB team were taken through a VIP entrance and whisked away to a nearby hotel.

Ben Ainslie, who won his third consecutive Olympic gold medal by taking victory in the Finn class, said he was already looking forward to competing on home water in 2012.

"For all of us it's been a massive inspiration looking forward to 2012," he said. "Hopefully the success we've had can help the whole nation get behind 2012."

Nicole Cooke, who won gold for Great Britain in the women's road race, said the team were looking forward to celebrating.

"I think everyone will be looking forward to sharing their excitement with the British public," Cooke said. "Within the cycling team there was such a good spirit going into the Games, everyone wanted to be as successful as possible."

Lord Coe, who was one of the first off the plane, said: "Team GB have provided us with just the most extraordinary platform, one we could not possibly imagine before we came here.

"It's the opportunity to drive the project for us, but take nothing from any of those guys who've performed, I think, way beyond what I think any of us were expecting."

Extra champagne was ordered for the flight and the airline gave those athletes who won medals special upgrades. Alasdair MacFadyen, the captain of the flight, said: "We've all been following Team GB whilst they've been in Beijing.

"They've done the UK proud and we're so pleased to be delivering them back to home soil to the heroes' welcome they've earned."

There was a scattering of disappointed fans at the arrivals gate, who had come to the airport in the hope of seeing their Olympic heroes.

Karen McKenna, from Ealing, West London, brought her son Sean, 8, to try and gain some autographs.

“I wanted to inspire him, we’ve been watching the whole Games. I’m disappointed they’re not coming through, the public are here and we would have given them a lovely welcome.”