Nashville International Airport (BNA) has taken its first formal step toward being renamed in honor of Dolly Parton. On Friday, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) Board voted unanimously, 6-0, to begin the process of modifying the airport’s name to recognize the Tennessee-born country music legend, who died on August 25 at the age of 80.

However, passengers should not expect to arrive at “Dolly Parton International Airport” just yet. MNAA stressed after Friday’s vote that a final name has not been determined, and said it will work with the appropriate parties to decide how Parton’s name and legacy will be incorporated. The decision follows a rapidly growing grassroots campaign that had already attracted more than 175,000 petition signatures by this week.

The First Step Towards A New Name

Credit: Nashville International Airport

Friday’s vote represents the most significant development yet in a campaign that began while Parton was still alive. A petition calling for BNA to become “Dolly Parton International Airport” launched in early 2025, and renewed attention after her death sent the signature count soaring. By August 27, more than 130,000 people had signed, rising above 155,000 the following day and 175,000 ahead of the airport board’s vote.

Political support quickly followed. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and BNA announced their intention on August 28 to name the airport in Parton’s honor. Lee said he had spoken with Parton’s representatives and that they were open to continuing the conversation. He said that the renaming would create “a lasting tribute to her indelible legacy,” and to the generations of people she inspired across Tennessee and around the world.

“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”

Nashville’s Metropolitan Council then unanimously adopted a resolution on September 1 asking MNAA to rename the facility “Dolly Parton International Airport,” although the airport authority retains sole naming authority. Importantly, Friday’s airport-board action did not formally adopt the Metro Council’s proposed name. MNAA instead described the vote as the “first step in a multifaceted process” and said more definitive plans will emerge over the coming months. However, it is the clearest possible indication that the airport is moving forward with the will of the state and its leadership.

Renaming BNA Is More Complicated Than Changing The Sign

Credit: Nashville International Airport

One hurdle has been MNAA’s own naming policy. Policy 33-006 says an individual honored through the naming of airport property should have made a substantial contribution to MNAA or aviation in Middle Tennessee and, until now, required the person to have been deceased for at least two years. Nashville’s Metro Council explicitly requested an exception, arguing that Parton’s impact on tourism, Nashville’s global identity and its creative economy warranted one. Reports following Friday’s meeting indicate MNAA has now revised the waiting-period requirement as the renaming process moves ahead.

Once a final name is selected, there is also a federal administrative process. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidance requires airport name changes to be submitted electronically through its Airport Data and Information Portal, while its airport-record guidance calls for official documentation establishing a public-use airport’s new name. Beyond federal records, an eventual change would ripple through terminal signage, airport branding, airline systems, websites, maps, and other passenger-facing material.

One thing is unlikely to change: BNA. The identifier dates to the airport’s earlier identity as Berry Field Nashville, named for Colonel Harry S. Berry, and FAA guidance generally treats established three-letter location identifiers as permanent even when an airport changes names. That means passengers could eventually fly into an airport carrying Parton’s name while still booking tickets to BNA.

Dolly Parton’s Name Could Soon Front One Of America’s Fastest-Growing Airports

Credit: Nashville International Airport

The scale of the airport makes the proposed honor particularly significant. BNA handled a record 26.7 million passengers in fiscal year 2026, up 7.7% year-over-year, and reached 115 nonstop destinations in June of this year. Southwest Airlines has simultaneously accelerated its Nashville operation, adding roughly 24 daily departures year-over-year in the third quarter and making BNA one of the airline’s most important growth markets.

That growth has increasingly taken BNA beyond its traditional domestic role. Aer Lingus launched a new Dublin service last year, Icelandair connected Nashville with Reykjavík’s Keflavik International Airport (KEF), British Airways has increased capacity on its established London Heathrow Airport (LHR) route, and Porter Airlines became another international carrier at BNA in 2026 with flights to Billy Bishop Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ). The airport’s rapid expansion has also strained facilities originally designed for far fewer passengers, helping drive the ongoing $3 billion New Horizon development program.

There is another potential milestone. Parton’s name would make BNA the first of the 50 busiest airports in the US to be named for a woman, according to the AP. Other airports honor figures including Louis Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, but Parton would bring a very different kind of name to one of the country’s busiest gateways: a musician, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and Tennessee cultural icon, whose global recognition closely mirrors Nashville’s own transformation into an increasingly international destination.