95 years of Belgrade - Skopje flights

Written by Veljko Marinković

On the last day of July 1929, the Aeroput Potez 29 aircraft completed its first commercial flight from Belgrade to Skopje, just one year after the first-ever domestic commercial flight in the history of EX-YU aviation. The inauguration of these flights was of great significance as it established air connectivity between the north and the south of the country, as well as the west (Zagreb) via Belgrade, during a period when the road and rail infrastructure was underdeveloped. The air link between the cities on the Vardar, as well as the Sava and Danube rivers has been operational for 95 years, with a few forced interruptions and some frequency variations.

Skopje Airport, 1929 » Pilots, Vladimir Strizevski and Tadija Sondermajer preparing for the first flight » Potez 29 “Skopje” » Ceremony for the opening of the Belgrade - Skopje - Thessaloniki route, 1930

While there had previously been flights between Belgrade and Skopje, the opening of a new airport in Skopje in 1928 created the conditions for these flights to become profitable. It should be mentioned that the renowned Milutin Milanković, an academician, engineer, mathematician, and astronomer, who was the chief aviation architect in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, also designed both the old airports in Belgrade and Skopje. The first Potez 29 X-SEFG (later UN-EDF, UN-SAD, and finally YU-SAD) aircraft, known as "Skoplje", took off from Belgrade Airport at three in the afternoon. and followed the Danube River, reaching a maximum altitude of 2.200 meters close to Smederevo. It then followed the Morava, passed over Niš, and touched down at Skopje Airport at 5:33PM. Most of the passengers were journalists from regional newspapers, and the pilots were Tadija Sondermajer and Vladimir Strizevski. By operating the return flight the next day, a connection was established to Zagreb and then Vienna via Belgrade. August 2 was the date of the next flight, and regular operations continued until mid-November. The cost of the ticket for the Belgrade-Skopje route was 450 dinars, and the 800 dinar return ticket had a three-day validity period. Up to 15 kilograms of luggage per passenger could be taken onboard for free.

Graphs showing the number of passengers on the Belgrade-Skopje-Belgrade flights, published in the magazine "Naša Krila”, 1930

The Belgrade-Skopje route expanded to Thessaloniki a year later, and to the Greek capital of Athens in 1933. Owing to high passenger demand, flights were run three times per week until September in both directions: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to Thessaloniki, with Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays assigned for the return flight. In 1935, Aeroput also ran a longer international route via Zagreb, Belgrade, and Skopje between Vienna and Thessaloniki. The most common aircraft was the French Potez 29, which could accommodate five people and 290 kg of freight. Later, more modern aircraft were purchased, such as the British Spartan Cruiser II (from 1933) and the American Lockheed Model 10 Electra (from 1937) which were deployed on these flights and significantly reduced the duration of the journey to one hour and ten minutes. It is noteworthy to remember that British Imperial Airways connected Belgrade and Skopje in 1931 as well. Their aircraft flew the following route: Thessaloniki-Skopje-Belgrade-Zagreb-London.

Following the Second World War, scheduled flights were resumed between Belgrade and Skopje in the spring of 1946. Initially, these flights were operated by military transportation planes, but from 1947, JAT Yugoslav Airlines commenced five weekly flights on the route (depending on the season) with its 20-seater DC-3. Fifteen minutes after noon, JU760 was taking off from Belgrade, while JU761, the return flight from Skopje, was due to depart at 2:45 pm. JAT added Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki-Athens in 1951 in addition to its nonstop terminator flights. In 1953, it also started offering flights between Belgrade and Istanbul via Skopje, as well as Belgrade - Ohrid via Skopje. Pan Adria began operating mail service between Skopje and Belgrade in 1965.

JAT DC-3 at Skopje Airport, preparing for departure to Belgrade, 1950s » Pioneers welcome at Skopje Airport, JAT's Caravelle YU-AHD "Ohrid", during the ceremonial christening » JAT Convair, Skopje Airport, 1960s

As air traffic developed in EX-YU, so did the number of flights and the number of available seats, i.e., aircraft capacity, on the Belgrade-Skopje route. Thus, JAT operated double daily flights using a combination of Convair Metropolitan, Caravelle, and DC-9 aircraft in the early 1970s. On the Belgrade – Skopje route, a moment of significance for the history of EX-YU aviation was recorded. On the final day of 1976, JAT operated the first commercial jet-engine aircraft registered in Yugoslavia, the Caravelle (YU-AHA), on its last commercial flight, from Belgrade to Skopje, Ohrid, and back to Belgrade. Three daily flights were run between the two cities during the summer peak month in the late 1970s and early 1980s. When the 100-seat DC-9 proved too small, JAT also used the larger Boeing 727.

JAT ad for Skopje flights, 1970 » JAT DC-9 flight JU963 from Skopje disembarking passengers at Belgrade Airport, 1970s»

JAT office Skopje downtown, 1985

Simultaneously, Inex Adria-Aviopromet (later Adria Airways) operated three to five weekly flights, using exclusively its DC-9 aircraft between Belgrade and Skopje (the latter being linked to Ljubljana via Belgrade). The flight numbers for these were JP808/809. When Palair Macedonian Airlines began operating Antonov AN-24 flights to Belgrade five times a week in the spring of 1991, along with an additional five triangle flights between Skopje-Sarajevo-Belgrade-Skopje, competition on the route grew.

JAT DC-9 at Skopje Airport, 1989

Unfortunately, air service between Belgrade and Skopje was disrupted on June 1, 1992, as a result of the sanctions that were put in place. JAT resumed service between the two capitals on May 16, 1996, although Palair had previously established a nonstop service between the two cities. Flights were again halted in 1998. After two years, in 2000, JAT again introduced Skopje to its network of flights from Belgrade. Flights were maintained with a mix of ATR72, DC-9, and Boeing 737 aircraft. Frequencies varied from year to year. The greatest volume of flights between the two cities, in the new millennium, was operated by Jat Airways, during 2009, during which planes took off from Belgrade at 14:30 and 21:20 for Skopje, and return flights were at 06:00 and 16:15.

JAT Boeing 737, first time at Skopje Airport in new colors, promotional flight, 1996

95 years after the first flight, Air Serbia continues to maintain scheduled service between Belgrade and Skopje. This summer season, ATR72 aircraft depart Belgrade Airport Nikola Tesla to Skopje, fourteen times per week.

Air Serbia ATR72, at Skopje Airport, preparing for departure to Belgrade

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