Trip Report
This flight marked the end of a three-week summer holiday in the Balkans. Every summer, I travel to Kosovo to visit my family, but during the summer of 2025, I was unable to go because I was completing a judiciary court internship as part of my studies. Heading into 2026, I was determined to stay longer to fully enjoy my break and recharge my batteries for the upcoming academic year. My itinerary included exploring Montenegro (Budva, Sveti Stefan, and Tivat), traveling through Greece, visiting family in Niš, and finally heading up to Belgrade for my return flight to Paris.
When I booked my outbound flight from Paris to Skopje with easyJet back in March, I intentionally left my return trip open. At the time, I had no visibility on my summer schedule - specifically whether I would be doing a student summer job or another internship for my law studies.
By mid-May, with a clearer schedule, I started looking for flights back to France. From Skopje, the cheapest direct option was Air Serbia at €110 one-way for an August 11 departure. As an aviation enthusiast, I always pay close attention to the operating airline when booking flights, and I am usually willing to pay slightly more if it means trying a carrier I’ve never flown before. In this case, Air Serbia was both the cheapest option and a new airline for me - a perfect "two birds with one stone". However, returning on August 11 would have limited my vacation to just two weeks, which felt far too short after missing out on my summer trip the previous year. So, I paused my search.
There were also lower fares out of Skopje in the €75 to €90 range on decent dates, but they required self-transfer connections in Italy - for instance, flying Wizz Air from Skopje to Bologna (BLQ) and then transferring to Ryanair for Beauvais (BVA), or connecting via Milan Bergamo (BGY). These involved tight layovers on two separate tickets with no connection protection. Given the current global jet fuel crisis caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the risk of delays or cancellations was too high. Had the initial flight out of Skopje been delayed, I would have ended up stranded in Italy, forced to purchase a last-minute ticket at exorbitant prices - an expense I certainly wanted to avoid, especially for a low-cost carrier setup. I made it a strict rule that any layover had to be under a single booking, which is why single-ticket options like Air Serbia or LOT Polish Airlines were far more reassuring. I could find these cheap fares on Google Flights or Kiwi.com.
Throughout May and June, I kept postponing booking my return ticket, convinced that as the departure date drew closer, I would inevitably end up spending at least €150 to €200 for a one-way fare and was mentally prepared to pay that amount.
In mid-July, I stumbled upon a €153 one-way flight from Belgrade with LOT Polish Airlines, featuring an overnight layover in Warsaw and arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). From an aviation geek perspective, I found the "discovery-to-price" value very attractive: I would get to try a new airline, depart from Belgrade (where I was eager to see the modernized and expanded airport with my own eyes), and land at my preferred airport, CDG. However, I held off once again, uncertain whether I would be returning to Paris alone or with my sister.
Finally, on July 16, I happened to check Wizz Air by chance. The airline was running a mid-month promotional campaign, and I spotted a fare for just 3,943 RSD (€33.45). I didn't hesitate for a second: within two minutes, my return flight was booked. This flight checked every single box - it was extremely cheap, departed from Belgrade, and gave me the opportunity to discover Nikola Tesla Airport's new infrastructure firsthand. The flight initially costs 4537 RSD but I had €4,82 left on my previous voucher so I really paid 3943 RSD.
The story actually started the evening before departure. When attempting to check in online, I received a notification informing me that the flight was overbooked. Wizz Air offered passengers the option to volunteer for a standby list in exchange for €100 in flight vouchers if denied boarding.
Since I had no urgent commitments awaiting me back in Paris, I gladly accepted the offer. Spending an extra night in Belgrade would hardly have been a punishment. In the end, however, a seat became available and I was cleared to travel as planned.
I had spent the days leading up to the flight in Niš visiting my cousin. My journey began at 04:00 in the morning on a Niš Ekspres coach, arriving at Belgrade’s new main bus station in Novi Beograd at 07:15. The bus trip costed me 2240 RSD.
With plenty of time before my flight, I decided to enjoy a final walk around the Serbian capital. I wanted to take the BG:Voz to go to Karadjordjev Park but the train never came on time and I didn’t want to lose a minute to visit the city. So after taking tram line 9L to Slavija, I walked to Zeleni Venac and headed towards the airport using public transport.
Interestingly, Citymapper suggested taking bus 65 or 75 to Fontana and then transferring to the paid A1 airport shuttle, which costs 400 RSD (or €4 if you do not pay in Serbian dinar). Instead, I chose Belgrade’s regular bus line 72 from Zeleni Venac, which runs directly to the airport. Since public transport in Belgrade is now free - a policy I find fantastic and fully support - paying extra for an airport shuttle seemed unnecessary, and I was pleased to make use of the free city transit one last time.
I arrived at Nikola Tesla Airport at approximately 10:00, two hours and twenty-five minutes before departure.
Because of the overbooking situation, I was unable to obtain a boarding pass online and had to visit the physical check-in desks. Only three Wizz Air counters were open in Terminal 1, resulting in a queue of around twenty minutes. Traveling with only cabin baggage, I had no checked luggage to drop off.
Security and passport control, on the other hand, were remarkably efficient. Using the automated eGates, I cleared both procedures in roughly ten minutes. One curious detail was that despite using the automated eGates, a border police officer still manually stamped my passport afterwards.
The last time I flew into or out of Belgrade Airport was in 2020, when I traveled via Munich with Lufthansa (CDG-MUC-BEG) and via Vienna with Austrian Airlines (BEG-VIE-CDG). The transformation since then has been impressive. Although I had followed the airport’s expansion under VINCI Airports, seeing it in person was another matter entirely.
I spent some time exploring the terminal, walking as far as gates C6 to C14. A sign indicated that walking from one end of the airport to the other takes eighteen minutes on foot. The terminal was busy throughout the morning, with numerous departures creating a lively atmosphere. At 11:25, exactly an hour before departure, gate A08 was assigned to our flight. Nearby, gate A07 was preparing Qatar Airways’ departure to Doha, gate A06 hosted an Air Serbia flight to Istanbul, and gate A09 was used by KLM’s service to Amsterdam.
I spotted AirSERBIA’s A330-243 YU-ARB departing to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and China Southern’s 787-9 Dreamliner to Guangzhou (CAN).
Boarding began at 12:00, twenty-five minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Despite the flight appearing almost completely full, the process moved surprisingly quickly. Passengers boarded via a jet bridge, and everyone entered through the forward door of the aircraft.
I stepped onboard at 12:20, and the announcement "boarding completed" was made at precisely 12:26. From my observations, the load factor was around 99%. The only empty seat I noticed was 30D, though there may have been a few others elsewhere.
I was seated in 31C near the rear of the aircraft. As someone who regularly flies Wizz Air between France and the Balkans to visit family, I was familiar with the product. At 1.86 meters tall, legroom was somewhat tight, but the aisle seat made the journey comfortable enough.
The passenger mix was diverse: mostly French and Serbian travelers (both tourists and diaspora), alongside a number of American tourists and a family traveling on Croatian passports.
The crew were pleasant and welcoming throughout. Marko and Mateja were frequently visible in the rear cabin, and another crew member, Cintia (apologies if misspelled), was equally friendly. I understood she was brought in as reinforcement, either specifically for this flight or for the Belgrade base.
Speaking of Wizz Air’s Belgrade base, I find it terrible that new regulations might force the airline to potentially cease its base operations as early as October 2026. Losing the base would be catastrophic for the direct and indirect local jobs at stake. I am a strong advocate for free market competition, and I eagerly await an official statement from Wizz Air confirming the retention of its Belgrade base.
Pushback took place at 12:28 and after a short taxi, we lined up for departure. We took off at 12:36.
Following takeoff, the aircraft climbed over Belgrade before turning south. A few light bumps were encountered during the initial climb, but nothing concerning. Our flight path took us over Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, and briefly Switzerland before approaching Paris from the south.
For most of the journey, the flight was completely uneventful until we began our descent into Paris. During the flight, I spent time looking through the photos on my phone, reminiscing about my holiday while listening to "Milion dolara" by Ana Nikolić and "Moje leto" by In Vivo.Turbulence became increasingly noticeable, and passengers around me started exchanging nervous glances. Upon touchdown, the entire cabin erupted into applause.
Looking outside, the reason for the bumps was clear: dark grey skies, strong winds, and heavy rain. Leaving the Serbian sunshine behind for grey Parisian skies after three weeks of holiday was quite depressing.
We arrived at 15:04, one minute ahead of schedule despite the slightly delayed departure.
My sister later informed me that this was actually the very first rainy day in Paris after five extreme heatwaves across France this summer - a relief for locals, but a cold shock for someone returning from vacation.
We disembarked on foot on the tarmac. Being seated near the rear, I exited quickly and passed passport control in roughly fifteen minutes. Since I had no checked luggage, I headed straight for the local city bus to Beauvais railway station, followed by a TER train to Paris Gare du Nord.
Earlier this summer, on July 25, I flew from Paris Orly to Skopje with easyJet. Comparing the two journeys highlights two very different travel experiences.
From a Parisian standpoint, Orly is unquestionably more convenient than Beauvais; I can reach Orly in just 40 minutes door-to-door from my home in central Paris. Beauvais remains a major hassle due to its location and infrastructure.
On the Balkan side, however, Belgrade Airport impressed me far more than Skopje. While Skopje serves its purpose, Belgrade feels like a true international gateway. Although my absolute favorite airport remains Paris Charles de Gaulle (specifically Terminals 1, 2E, and 2F), Belgrade has become my preferred entry point to the region. In the future, I will prioritize flying into Belgrade, even if it means taking a bus onward to Kosovo to see family, rather than landing directly in Skopje or Pristina. Belgrade’s ambition to consolidate its position as the primary aviation hub in the Western Balkans is fully justified.
While I dislike Beauvais, it would be untrue to say I will never fly from there again, especially when fares are as low as €33.45. Still, I would prefer paying a bit more in the future to depart from CDG or ORY.
I would also love to try Air Serbia one day. I rarely fly legacy carriers because they are usually significantly more expensive than low-cost airlines. Over the years, I have only flown flag carriers - such as Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Aer Lingus, Tunisair, Air Malta, British Airways, American Airlines, and Aegean Airlines - when they happened to be the cheapest option or offered the most convenient schedule.
On a final note for readers who have never visited: I strongly encourage everyone to travel to Belgrade and Serbia during the summer. The atmosphere, energy, and hospitality are wonderful.
I share a deep cultural connection with Serbia, and leaving always brings a wave of nostalgia. Even at 22 years old, I still feel a genuine sense of melancholy when returning to France. I wish this fantastic country all the very best, and I am already looking forward to my next trip back.
Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com
Thank you very much Nikola for a detailed and interesting trip report. You are a true aviation enthusiast.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I also noticed this summer, and some of my relatives too, that the passport and security checks at the Belgrade airport go through very smooth and efficiently. Despite the record number of passengers. I hope it stays like that in the future. On the other hand, unlike you, I'm not a fan of CDG and had a very stressful experience both on arrival and departure. The crowds are huge. I used a combination of Air Serbia for the outbound flight and easyJet for the return to Belgrade. Maybe next time I'll try Wizz like you did.
Very well written! Great great.
ReplyDeleteThank u Nikola for the very detailled report. I personally hope too that the issues with Wizz in Serbia will be sorted out. Wizz today is part of ex YU aviation. So many connections, so many aircraft based, so much regional staff and in terms of Belgrade, fully agree and there is much more to come. Belgrade with all its river bank projects will raise much more attention throughout the int. travel community, than it did already in the past. Water is always attraction and Belgrade is blessed with its location at the conjunction of the Sava and Danube rivers.
ReplyDeletePersonally i see the waterfront developments as soulless, bland and poorly executed. The city is so much more than that. But yes, its future tourist potential is significant and exciting.
DeleteWhen I think of waterfront projects, I’m thinking of more than just the "Belgrade waterfront" developments. You have kilometers of waterfront areas where the facilities are being further expanded to include modernized bike lanes, walking paths, and entertainment venues for city residents—and perhaps in the future there will also be one or two tram line extensions that connect these areas well.
DeleteYes, its always been a city of the future throughout its history. Its always lovely to know outsiders enjoy visiting it in ever greater numbers. Very important for the country and region.
DeleteThanks for the report but it would be nice to include some pictures from the actual flight.
ReplyDeleteExactly, photos of everything except the flight itself.
DeleteThis is why we need PRN-BVA
ReplyDeleteThere is already SKP-BVA, no real need for a PRN-BVA route in my opinion.
DeleteYeah right
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