Air Serbia: Skopje - Paris via Belgrade

Trip Report

Written by Nikola Lazić

On October 24, I travelled from Paris Orly to Skopje with my parents to spend the autumn holidays in Kosovo for THREE main reasons: to visit our family, to attend our family's slava, Sveti Luka (Saint Luke), celebrated by my grandparents and cousins, and to cast our votes in the Serbian parliamentary elections on October 25.

We booked our tickets on September 9, the very day the exact date of the parliamentary elections were called. I paid €36.65 for the outbound easyJet flight and €127.31 for the return journey with Air Serbia via Belgrade.

Our outbound flight was operated by easyJet and happened to be the airline's final service on the Paris Orly - Skopje route.

When looking at return options, I initially considered flying back to Paris on Sunday, November 1, with Wizz Air for €119. However, for just €8 more, Air Serbia allowed me to spend an extra day with my family while also giving me the opportunity to try an airline I had wanted to fly with for quite some time.

Austrian Airlines was another option for Monday, November 2, offering a connection via Vienna for €93. Although it was cheaper, I ultimately decided to pay a little extra to experience Air Serbia for the first time. As I mentioned in my previous trip report about my Wizz Air flight from Belgrade to Paris Beauvais in August 2026, flying with Air Serbia had been on my wish list for a while.

Another advantage of choosing Air Serbia was the baggage allowance. My €127.31 ticket included both a small personal item and a larger cabin bag, whereas Wizz Air's basic fare only included a small bag. This made Air Serbia an even more attractive option, especially considering the relatively small price difference between the two airlines.

This trip would therefore be an opportunity to experience the Serbian flag carrier on two different routes, from Skopje to Belgrade and then onwards to Paris Charles de Gaulle, while also discovering what a connection through Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport was like.

Skopje - Belgrade (JU797)

For the return journey on November 2, I was travelling with my mother, as my father had decided to stay in Serbia for a few more days. He would eventually return to Paris on November 6, taking the same Air Serbia connection via Belgrade.

Our first flight, JU797 from Skopje to Belgrade, was scheduled to depart at 4 AM and was operated by an ATR72-600 registered YU-ASC.

Check-in at Skopje Airport was straightforward. Since we were travelling with cabin baggage only, we did not need to drop off any luggage and simply went to the check-in counter to collect printed boarding passes.

One thing I found slightly disappointing was the lack of Apple Wallet integration for Air Serbia's boarding passes. After checking in online, I received a boarding pass with a QR code by email, but there was no option to add it directly to my iPhone's Wallet app. Interestingly, the emailed boarding pass looked very much like a screenshot of a digital boarding pass that could have been added to Apple Wallet. It is a small detail, but one I would appreciate seeing improved in the future.

When checking in online 24 hours before departure, I was automatically assigned seat 5A, while my mother was seated in 5C. I had actually hoped to get a window seat on the right-hand side of the aircraft, as I knew that flights arriving from the south could offer some nice views of Belgrade when landing on runway 30R.

I had planned to ask whether another seat was available at the check-in counter in Skopje, but completely forgot. As it turned out, our aircraft eventually landed on runway 12L, so my original plan to enjoy a close-up view of the city would not have worked anyway.

During boarding, I managed to catch a glimpse of the ground handling agents' computer screen, which indicated that there were 38 passengers on our flight.

This was not my first time flying on an ATR aircraft. Back in August 2024, I had flown on an Olympic Air ATR42-600 as part of a journey from Skopje to Brussels via Athens. However, I had forgotten just how noisy these turboprops could be! I found the cabin rather loud, although this was probably also because I am much more accustomed to flying on jets.

We took off at 4:02 AM and landed in Belgrade at exactly 5 AM, after a flight of just 58 minutes.

Despite the short duration, Air Serbia offered a complimentary bottle of water and a small snack, with passengers able to choose between mini Plazma biscuits and salted breadsticks (štapići). A simple but welcome touch, particularly on such a short flight in the middle of the night.

Overall, the flight went smoothly, and we arrived in Belgrade right on time.

Connecting at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport

After landing, our ATR parked at a remote stand, and passengers were transferred to the terminal by bus.

Once inside, we noticed a rather long queue at the Air Serbia transfer desk. My mother and I were initially unsure whether we also needed to wait there. At that moment, a member of staff was calling passengers connecting to Air Serbia's Barcelona flight.

However, after noticing that several passengers from our Skopje flight were heading straight towards the transfer area without stopping at the desk, we decided to follow the transfer signs as well.

We eventually reached the security checkpoint, which was extremely busy. Considering the number of flights departing from Belgrade during the morning wave, this was hardly surprising. We waited approximately fifteen minutes before clearing security.

Once airside, I had one small mission in mind. During the Skopje - Belgrade flight, I had discovered that Air Serbia sold a red branded keyring at its lounge in Belgrade. Naturally, as someone who enjoys collecting airline memorabilia, I could not resist getting one. It cost 749 Serbian dinars, approximately €6.39.

Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the duty-free shop before heading towards our departure gate.

In the end, we had barely forty minutes to explore Belgrade Airport before it was time to board our second flight. Between buying my Air Serbia keyring and stopping at the duty-free shop, time went by rather quickly. I would have liked to spend a little longer exploring the terminal, but considering our relatively short connection, I was glad we had managed to do everything we wanted.

We then headed towards gate C10 for our second flight, JU240 to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Belgrade - Paris Charles de Gaulle (JU240)

When we arrived at gate C10, the waiting area was already quite crowded. At the neighbouring gate, C9, Air Serbia was preparing another flight, this time to Milan Malpensa.

Earlier that morning, I had checked Flightradar24 and noticed that our Paris flight would be operated by YU-APT, an Airbus A320 that had previously featured a Wizz Air-style cabin.

I must admit that I was initially a little disappointed. Having specifically chosen Air Serbia because I wanted to experience the airline for the first time, I was hoping to fly in a cabin reflecting its own branding rather than that of another carrier.

During boarding, I once again managed to see the passenger count displayed on the ground handling agents' computer screen: 175 passengers out of 180 seats. The flight was therefore almost completely full.

I was among the last passengers to board, and I also noticed that nine of the twelve Business Class seats appeared to be occupied.

However, as soon as I stepped into the aircraft, I realised that the cabin was not at all what I had expected.

Instead of the former Wizz Air-style interior, I discovered a modern-looking cabin with what appeared to be newly installed seats. The grey upholstery immediately reminded me of the seats I had seen on Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines flights back in 2020.

The seats were also surprisingly comfortable. To be honest, seat comfort has never been a particularly important factor for me on short-haul flights, but I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable these felt. Combined with the modern-looking interior, they made a very good first impression.

I particularly liked the understated design. The grey tones gave the cabin a clean, elegant and modern appearance, and everything looked very well maintained.

I had also noticed on Flightradar24 that YU-APT had apparently returned to service only a couple of days earlier, following a period without recorded flights. This made me wonder whether the aircraft had recently undergone a cabin refurbishment, although I cannot confirm whether that was actually the case.

I settled into my window seat, 23A, ready for the second and longer part of our journey.

We took off from Belgrade at 6:45 AM. Our route took us over Novi Sad before continuing across Hungary, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg, eventually beginning our descent over northern France.

During the flight, the cabin crew offered passengers a complimentary bottle of water and a sandwich. We had a choice between chicken and a beef-based sandwich featuring sudžuk.

I went for the latter, determined to continue my Serbian experience right until the end!

The sandwich contained sudžuk, kačkavalj cheese and pickles. It reminded me of the kind of sandwich a child might put together from the food served at a family slava, which made it a rather fitting way to end my trip.

I appreciated the fact that Air Serbia still offered a complimentary snack and drink on both flights. Although the catering was simple, it was certainly a pleasant addition to the overall experience.

As for the cabin crew, the service was generally fine, although I found one of the flight attendants to be rather reserved when interacting with passengers. It was not a major issue and did not affect my overall experience, but a slightly warmer approach would have been appreciated.

Arrival in Paris

We landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle at precisely 8:52 AM, ahead of schedule.

After landing, we spent approximately ten minutes taxiing towards Terminal 2B. As an aviation enthusiast, I particularly enjoyed this part of the journey, as it gave me the opportunity to spot several aircraft parked around the airport.

We passed Terminal 2E and its L and M satellite concourses, where several Air France Boeing 777-300ERs were parked. Near Terminal 2F, I also spotted Air France Airbus A320s and A220s, as well as a KLM Airbus A321neo and an Embraer E195-E2.

Speaking of trying new airlines, I'll also be flying with Air France for the first time in January 2027, on an Airbus A220-300 to Barcelona. I'm really looking forward to that experience as well!

Eventually, we reached Terminal 2B and disembarked.

The next step was passport control, where we encountered another queue. It took approximately twenty minutes to complete the formalities.

Interestingly, I overheard several passengers from our Air Serbia flight discussing their onward connection to Marrakech on Air France, departing from Terminal 2E. It was a reminder that Air Serbia's Belgrade - Paris service was not necessarily the final destination for everyone on board.

Once through the formalities, my mother and I headed towards the RER B station to return home and drop off our luggage.

But my day was far from over.

After spending the entire night travelling and covering more than 1,500 kilometres by air, I went straight to university to attend my classes in Environmental Law, European Union Politics and Administrative Litigation.

Just another ordinary Monday morning, as if I had not spent the previous night flying across Europe!

Final thoughts

Overall, I was very pleased with my first experience flying with Air Serbia.

Both flights operated smoothly, the complimentary snacks and drinks were appreciated, and the cabin of YU-APT was a particularly pleasant surprise.

I had initially been disappointed when I saw the aircraft registration, but the interior turned out to be one of the highlights of the journey.

The connection at Belgrade was relatively straightforward, although the busy security checkpoint and the initial uncertainty around the transfer desk could be slightly confusing for passengers unfamiliar with the airport.

Considering that I paid €127.31 for the entire Skopje – Belgrade - Paris journey, only slightly more than the direct Wizz Air alternative on the previous day, I was satisfied with my decision.

Flying on both the ATR 72-600 and the Airbus A320 on the same journey also made the experience particularly interesting. While the ATR was noticeably noisier, the A320 offered a more comfortable and modern cabin environment. Both flights provided complimentary refreshments, which I appreciated, especially considering the short duration of the first leg.

More importantly, I finally had the opportunity to fly with an airline I had wanted to try for years, and I will definitely try to fly with Air Serbia again in the future. In fact, I have applied to volunteer at EXPO 2027 in Belgrade and, if selected, I hope to travel there next May with Air Serbia, especially since volunteers are eligible for a 27% discount on the airline's flights. That would certainly be a great opportunity to fly with the Serbian flag carrier once again!

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