A plane carrying the 51-year-old, who was snatched by armed men in Mali on November 24, 2011, touched down at a military base near Paris.

Serge Lazarevic, 51, was snatched by armed men in Mali on November 24, 2011 while on a business trip with fellow Frenchman Philippe Verdon in a kidnapping claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Lazarevic, sporting a closely-cropped beard, shared a joke with Hollande and the rest of his family after exiting the  jet with his daughter.

He was expected to be taken immediately to a military hospital for check-ups before returning to the comfort of his family, according to a diplomatic source.

"The doctor gave him a check-up on the plane and he's doing well," this source said."I lost about 20 kilos, but I'm in fine shape," Lazarevic said earlier after meeting with Nigerian president Mahamadou Issoufou.

There was no immediate information on how the release was secured or whether France paid a ransom, but Lazarevic expressed his gratitude for Nigeria's role.

"I would like to thank the president of Niger (and) the people of Niger, who worked with France for my freedom," he said.

In his three years in captivity, Lazarevic appeared in several AQIM videos, the most recent of which was in November in which he said he was gravely ill and believed his life was in danger.

After Lazarevic's appearance with a thick beard and dark headdress in the last video, his daughter Diane urged Hollande to obtain his release "as fast as possible… for Christmas."

Fears spiked for the safety of the tall Frenchman of Serbian origin after hiker Herve Gourdel was abducted in Algeria and beheaded in September by Islamic State-linked militants.

In his three years in captivity, Lazarevic appeared in several AQIM videos, the most recent of which was in November in which he said he was gravely ill and believed his life was in danger.

After Lazarevic's appearance with a thick beard and dark headdress in the last video, his daughter Diane urged Hollande to obtain his release "as fast as possible… for Christmas."

Fears spiked for the safety of the tall Frenchman of Serbian origin after hiker Herve Gourdel was abducted in Algeria and beheaded in September by Islamic State-linked militants.