President Bush arrived at RAF Aldergrove at 6.22 p.m., just slightly behind schedule. He was greeted by the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, and the Lord Lieutenant, Lord O'Neill.
Also there was the US Consul General, based in Belfast, Ms Barbara Stephenson, and the US ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr William Farish.
Mr Bush was joined on the tarmac by senior officials and members of his administration including Mr Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State; the US National Security Adviser, Ms Condoleezza Rice and Mr Bush's special envoy to Ireland, Mr Richard Haass.
Air Force One taxied past another US back-up aircraft carrying more of the White House entourage before it came to a halt along side three US Air Force helicopters, several members of the US military, secret service and close security personnel and an armoured Fleetwood limousine.
Even the steps which reached to the forward door of the president's Boeing 747 had been flown in from the US over the weekend. It appeared an American operation with the British forces from the Royal Scots Guards and the RAF only played a minor support role.
To the surprise of many, the president strode across the tarmac to talk to about 100 members of families based at the RAF base alongside the civil airport and to some 15 relatives of those who were recruited locally to British army regiments now fighting in the Iraq.
The 43rd President of the US spent about 10 minutes talking to the families above the roar of the aircraft as Mr Powell, Mr Haass and Ms Stephenson looked on with Mr Murphy.
Mr Bush posed for several family snapshots and held babies in his arms to the delight of the small but enthusiastic crowd. It was an informal arrival with no flag-waving, no anthems, no bands and no speeches.
Passenger flights at the airport were halted for a time amid stringent security measures following a day of hoax alerts at Aldergrove and in Belfast itself which caused congestion.
The area was heavily policed and the press were required to be in position three hours in advance. There was no sign of protest. The three helicopters lifted off for the short flight to Hillsborough, Co Down, where Mr Bush was to have dinner and commence the war summit with Mr Tony Blair.