Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has arrived back in his Australian homeland following his release from an Egyptian prison.

The sentencing of Mr Greste to seven years on charges including aiding a terrorist group attracted worldwide attention and condemnation.

He was held in Cairo for a total of 400 days before his release on Sunday.

The journalist was taken to Cyprus before flying back to Brisbane, where he was embraced by family and well wishers.

Mr Greste's colleagues, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed, remain in prison.

They were sentenced to between seven and 10 years on charges including spreading lies to help a terrorist organisation - a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

"If it's right for me to be free then it's right for all of us," Mr Greste said. "I think that Egypt now has an opportunity to show that justice doesn't depend on your nationality.

"If it's right for me to be free, it's right for everyone else that was imprisoned in our case to be free and it's right for all of those who were convicted to be free of those convictions."