Nashville International Airport Will Be Renamed After Dolly Parton

The board that governs Nashville International Airport voted unanimously on Friday to rename the airport after the late Dolly Parton.

The vote by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority was 6-0 in favor of changing the name to honor the country music legend, with the exact moniker expected to roll out in the coming months.

“We are grateful for the tremendous support and enthusiasm from our community and Dolly’s fans around the world, and we look forward to sharing additional details as plans are finalized,” the MNAA said in a statement on Friday.

Calls to honor Parton’s legacy in Tennessee came quickly after she died last month at the age of 80. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the MNAA swiftly moved to announce the goal of renaming BNA after her, a common tribute for beloved figures associated with specific cities. For example, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is named after the legendary jazz trumpeter, and Liverpool’s main airport is named after Beatles founding member John Lennon. Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, and Bob Hope also have their hometown airports adorned with their names.

The renaming comes as BNA continues to experience rapid growth, serving over 26 million total passengers in calendar year 2025, an all-time record for the airport. Passenger volume has grown dramatically from roughly 17.1 million total passengers in 2019, as well as subsequent years.