Authority Supports Renaming Nashvlle Airport To Honor Dolly Parton

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s board of commissioners voted 6-0 on Friday to begin renaming Nashville International Airport in honor of Dolly Parton, the late country music star and Tennessee native who died Aug. 25 at age 80. 

The vote is the first formal step in a process officials said could take months. 

A final name has not been chosen. 

The authority said it is working with Parton’s estate and other parties “to thoughtfully determine how Dolly Parton’s name and legacy will be incorporated.” The airport’s three-letter code, BNA, is expected to stay the same. 

Dolly (1946-2026)

To act so soon after Parton’s death, the board had to waive a policy that generally barred naming a facility after someone who had died less than two years earlier. The resolution directs airport CEO Doug Kreulen to start the change, develop a timeline, and estimate costs. 

The push gathered unusual bipartisan support. Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, announced late last month that he had spoken with Parton’s team and wanted the airport — “the place where Tennessee welcomes the world” — to honor “our state’s favorite daughter.” Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, a Democrat, backed renaming it Dolly Parton International Airport. Metro Council approved a similar resolution Sept. 1. 

An online petition launched in 2025 and revived after Parton’s death collected more than 175,000 signatures. Parton, born in Sevier County, became one of the most famous figures in American music and a major philanthropist through the Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library. She died after a brief battle with cancer at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. 

Airport officials said more details on timing and implementation would come in the months ahead.