NAIA Expressway

The elevated expressway as seen from street level

From the Sales Interchange (NAIA Exit) of Skyway, the expressway heads to the southwest and runs along Sales Road across Villamor Airbase and Newport City. It then curves to the northwest on Andrews Avenue towards the entrance to NAIA Terminal 3 and continues along the northern perimeter of the airport towards Electrical Road near NAIA Terminal 4. From here, it makes a turn to the south and runs along Parañaque River, parallel to Domestic Road on the east towards the NAIA Road junction. From this junction, the expressway branches into two, with one traversing eastwards to NAIA Terminals 1 and 2, while the other continues westwards to Entertainment City and the Manila–Cavite Expressway.

The expressway is operated and maintained by Skyway Operations & Maintenance Corporation (SOMCo), the same company that operates Skyway, while its concession holder is SMC NAIAX Corporation (formerly Vertex Tollways Development, Inc.); both companies are subsidiaries of San Miguel Corporation.[5][6]

Lanes

Portion of the NAIA Expressway above the Parañaque River.

Prior to the opening of the Skyway expansion project (by eliminating shoulders and shrinking the median) in 2020 that resulted in a grand total of 7 lanes,[7] and due to the lack of right of way available for the project, NAIAX is the second expressway that does not have a shoulder, after North Luzon Expressway between Balintawak to Balagtas (Tabang Interchange) following widening to four lanes as a heavily traveled segment,[8] and the first expressway having a narrow concrete barrier as median. Even though SMC claims that NAIAX is a 4-lane elevated expressway,[9] in fact, SMC via its subsidiary, Vertex Tollways Development, has built 5 to 7 lanes on the expressway without shoulders and with a narrow median barrier, with the configurations listed below.

Under-construction segment of the expressway along Andrews Avenue in front of the Resorts World Manila in 2014.

On July 17, 2001, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her Cabinet approved the construction of the NAIA Expressway, which would be funded through a Japanese loan package,[11] and construction of its interchange with Skyway began on March 17, 2004.[12] Construction of the 1.6-kilometer (0.99 mi) NAIA Expressway Phase 1 (NAIA Terminal 3 Exit of Skyway) was completed and inaugurated on May 30, 2009.[13][14] It provided an entry/exit ramp to the then newly-opened NAIA Terminal 3 and Resorts World Manila.

Phase 2 of the NAIA Expressway project was approved by the Benigno Aquino III Administration on May 30, 2012.[15] It included a 4.83-kilometer (3.00 mi) extension of the expressway all the way to Macapagal Boulevard in Entertainment City, Parañaque via Andrews Avenue, Electrical Road (west of Domestic Road) and NAIA Road.[15] The project was funded through a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, with San Miguel Corporation winning the bidding for its construction, operation and maintenance.[16] On January 2, 2014, construction began on Phase 2 of the NAIA Expressway.[17][18] On September 22, 2016 at exactly 12:01 AM (PHT), the second phase of the airport expressway from Macapagal Boulevard to NAIA Terminals 1 and 2 was opened to all motorists and airport passengers rushing to their flights in order to avoid the traffic lights at every intersection along NAIA Road. Toll collection at the NAIAX begun on October 22, exactly one month after the opening of the airport tollway.[1][4]

On November 28, 2016, the on-ramp of the expressway's western terminus was removed as the new on-ramp in the expressway opened on November 4.[19]

On December 21, 2016 at exactly 6:00 AM (PHT), the Entertainment City-NAIA Road-SLEX-Skyway segment (including the access ramp to Terminal 3) of the airport expressway was opened to all motorists for the Christmas rush.[1] On December 28, 2016, the access ramps to and from Manila–Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) were also opened to all motorists to provide easier access from the province of Cavite and Las Piñas to NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and vice versa.

On June 1, 2017, NAIAX was fully opened to all motorists.[20] By the full-opening of NAIAX, CAVITEX is ultimately connected to Skyway, as well as the international airport. Since the opening of Skyway Stage 3 in 2020,[21][22] the airport is connected to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), with Skyway and NAIAX providing seamless travel to and from the airport, including Clark International Airport in Angeles City.

San Miguel Corporation proposed an expansion of the expressway all the way to Bonifacio Global City, Taguig in 2017. Planned to traverse above Lawton Avenue, this expansion aims to reduce traffic along Sales Road and Sales Interchange and help reduce travel time from the airport to BGC to 10 minutes from the current 30 minutes to 1 hour. The project also includes constructing additional NAIAX ramps from the NAIA Terminals 1 and 2 exit ramps to C-5 Road Extension via Ninoy Aquino Avenue.[23][24] This project is part of SMC's three-year expansion project of all toll roads in southern Metro Manila to decrease traffic congestion on the area's major thoroughfares.[25] As of 2021, the project is under construction.[23][24]

Toll booth at the NAIA Terminals 1 & 2 on-ramp

The expressway uses a barrier toll system, where toll collection is done at toll barriers on a fixed rate, based on vehicle class and distance travelled using it. The eastbound lanes of NAIAX employ toll collection at exit points and its main toll plaza in front of NAIA Terminal 3, while the westbound lanes employ toll collection on entry points, at its main toll plaza, and upon exit to Andrews Avenue. The expressway uses the AutoSweep RFID electronic toll collection system, shared with Skyway, SLEX, STAR Tollway, MCX and TPLEX.

NAIA Expressway northbound ramp near Newport City

On the Macapagal Boulevard off-ramp looking towards Okada Manila

Macapagal Boulevard off-ramp looking north

This entire route is located in Metro Manila. Exits are numbered by kilometer posts at the center of the expressway, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as kilometer zero. 

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Taguig				Lawton Avenue/BGC	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; extension to Skyway Stage 4 (BGC) via Lawton Avenue; future eastern terminus
Pasay – Taguig boundary		9.15	5.69	AH 26 (E2) (Skyway) – Makati, Alabang	Directional T interchange (Sales Interchange); current eastern terminus
Pasay		8.9	5.5	N192 (Andrews Avenue) – NAIA Terminals 3 & 4	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; entrance ramp accessible via NAIA Terminal 3
				N192 (Andrews Avenue) – Sales, BGC	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; access to AH 26 (E2) (SLEX) via Sales Road
				NAIAX Main Toll Plaza A
		7.7	4.8	NAIAX Main Toll Plaza B
		7.2	4.5	NAIA Terminal 3	Eastbound exit only
				N171 (Aurora Boulevard (Tramo))	NAIAx-EDSA Tramo connecting ramp.[27] Westbound entrance under-construction, eastbound exit construction pending; access to AH 26 (N1) (EDSA)
Pasay – Parañaque boundary				NAIA Terminals 1 and 2	Directional T interchange; access to N195 (Ninoy Aquino Avenue) and N194 (NAIA Road), respectively
Parañaque		4.5	2.8	E3 (CAVITEX) – Cavite	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		4.1	2.5	New Seaside Drive	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access to Entertainment City
		4.1– 3.8	2.5– 2.4	Macapagal Boulevard	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Incomplete access        Tolled       Unopened

14°31′15″N 121°1′21″E