Nashville International Airport has moved a major step closer to carrying the name of Dolly Parton after the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board voted unanimously to begin the formal process of renaming the Tennessee gateway. The 6-0 decision on September 11 does not approve a final name, but it marks the strongest institutional endorsement yet of a campaign that has gathered extraordinary public support.
A grassroots petition launched in early 2025 called for BNA to become Dolly Parton International Airport, and public interest accelerated sharply after Parton’s death on August 25 at age 80. More than 175,000 people had signed the petition by the week of the airport board’s vote.
Despite the momentum, travelers should not expect airport signs to change overnight. MNAA emphasized that Friday’s action was the first step in a multifaceted process and that a final name has not yet been selected. The authority will work with the appropriate parties to determine how Parton’s name and legacy should be incorporated.
MNAA Board Gives Formal Support to Dolly Parton Airport Name
The September 11 vote followed a sequence of increasingly strong endorsements. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced on August 28 that he and BNA intended to pursue naming the airport in Parton’s honor, after speaking with her representatives. Lee described the proposal as a lasting tribute to Parton’s legacy and emphasized the symbolism of honoring her at a place where Tennessee welcomes visitors from around the world.
Nashville’s Metropolitan Council added another important layer on September 1, unanimously adopting a resolution asking MNAA to rename the facility “Dolly Parton International Airport.” That power rests with the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, making the 6-0 board vote especially significant.
The distinction matters because Friday’s decision was an authorization to move forward rather than a completed renaming. MNAA has deliberately left room to determine the final form of the honor.
Why Renaming Nashville International Airport Requires More Than New Signs
Changing the name of a major airport is considerably more complicated than replacing lettering on a terminal facade. MNAA’s naming policy had created a potential obstacle because Policy 33-006 historically required an individual honored through airport property naming to have made a substantial contribution to MNAA or aviation in Middle Tennessee.
The Metro Council specifically sought an exception for Parton, arguing that her influence reaches well beyond entertainment. Her contribution to Tennessee tourism, Nashville’s international reputation, and the state’s creative economy provides a broader justification for an airport naming honor. Reports following the board’s action indicate that MNAA has revised the waiting-period requirement as the process moves ahead.
Federal requirements will come later. Once a final name is approved, the airport will need to submit the change electronically through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Data and Information Portal and provide official documentation establishing the new name.
One element is expected to remain familiar: the airport code BNA. The identifier comes from the airport’s earlier identity as Berry Field Nashville, named for Colonel Harry S. Berry. Established three-letter location identifiers are generally treated as permanent even when an airport changes its official name. Passengers could therefore eventually book flights to BNA while seeing Dolly Parton’s name prominently displayed throughout the airport.
BNA’s Rapid Growth Makes the Honor More Significant
The proposed renaming comes at a particularly important moment for Nashville International Airport. BNA handled a record 26.7 million passengers in fiscal year 2026, representing a 7.7% increase from the previous year. By June, the airport had reached 115 nonstop destinations, illustrating how dramatically its role has expanded beyond Nashville’s traditional domestic market.
The airport’s economic footprint is equally substantial. BNA’s activity generated an estimated $14.8 billion in economic impact in 2025, supported about 80,000 jobs, and generated approximately $2.1 billion in taxes. The airport is also advancing its $3 billion New Horizon development program, an investment designed to accommodate growth and modernize infrastructure built for a much smaller passenger base.
Airline expansion has helped drive that transformation. Southwest Airlines has significantly increased its Nashville operation, adding roughly 24 daily departures year over year in the third quarter.
International service has expanded as well. Aer Lingus launched service to Dublin, Icelandair connected Nashville with Reykjavík’s Keflavík International Airport, and British Airways increased capacity on its established London Heathrow route. In 2026, Porter Airlines added another international link with service to Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport.
Dolly Parton Name Would Give BNA a Historic Distinction
The proposed honor carries significance beyond Nashville and Tennessee because of the type of figure whose name could be attached to one of America’s busiest airports. According to the Associated Press, Parton’s name would make BNA the first among the 50 busiest U.S. airports to be named for a woman.
Parton would represent a distinctly different category of honoree: a musician, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and cultural figure whose identity is deeply connected with Tennessee.
That connection is particularly fitting for an airport. Parton’s career has helped make Tennessee culture internationally recognizable, while Nashville has evolved into a global tourism, business, entertainment, and aviation destination. An airport bearing her name would connect two powerful symbols of the state’s identity: a city that welcomes the world and an artist whose influence has traveled far beyond the American South. The symbolism could also give Nashville a distinctive welcome for visitors, linking the airport experience with a figure whose image is associated with music, generosity, business success, and a strong connection to Tennessee. For an airport serving millions of travelers, that identity could become an unusually visible part of the city’s brand.
What Happens Next for Nashville’s Airport Renaming
The immediate next stage is deliberation over the final name and implementation plan. MNAA has made clear that the September 11 vote does not settle the wording, timing, or full scope of the change.
For passengers, the most important distinction is that BNA remains BNA for now and is expected to retain that identifier even if the airport receives Parton’s name. The transition, if ultimately approved, would therefore be less about changing how travelers identify their flights and more about changing the public identity of one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States.
The campaign has already demonstrated the unusual breadth of support behind the idea. More than 175,000 petition signatures, the governor’s backing, unanimous support from Nashville’s Metropolitan Council, and now a unanimous MNAA board vote have transformed a grassroots proposal into an official renaming process. Nashville International Airport is now clearly on a path toward determining whether Dolly Parton’s name will become part of the gateway through which millions of visitors enter Tennessee each year.
