Great Britain’s Olympic team returned home from the Beijing Games on a British Airways flight.

The athletes won a total of 47 medals in the competitions, and finally arrived back in the UK on a Boeing 747, after a 10 hour journey from the Chinese capital.

The words “Proud to bring our British heroes home,” were emblazoned on the fuselage, and the jet’s nose was painted gold, honouring the 19 gold medals won by team members during the Games.

The 747 was renamed ‘Pride’, after the team mascot, and when it landed camera crews greeted the athletes before they addressed the media and were reunited with family members.

Flight captain Alasdair MacFadyen expressed his pleasure on behalf of British Airways on having the privilege of bring the Olympians home to the UK.

The captain 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.

“We think they’re definitely worth the extra weight in gold!”

The British national airline has paid tribute to the success of the gold medallists by presenting them with memberships to the airline’s Gold Executive Club through 2012, and to the silver and bronze medal winners by granting them memberships to the carrier’s Silver Executive Club.

www.britishairways.com