NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville International Airport has taken its first formal step toward a new name honoring Dolly Parton, after the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority voted unanimously to begin a process that would link one of the nation’s busiest airports with one of Tennessee’s most celebrated cultural figures.
The authority’s six commissioners voted 6-0 on Friday to begin modifying the airport’s name in honor of Parton, the singer, songwriter, actor, philanthropist and global ambassador for Tennessee who died Aug. 25 at age 80. The action does not immediately rename the airport, and officials said a final name has not yet been selected.
Instead, the vote authorizes airport leadership to begin what officials describe as a “multifaceted process” involving naming policy, implementation planning, regulatory coordination and consultation with the appropriate parties connected to Parton’s legacy. More detailed plans are expected in the coming months.
The decision gives formal momentum to a proposal that had become a source of rare political agreement in a city and state otherwise locked in a prolonged dispute over who should control the airport.
For travelers, airlines and Nashville residents, the change could ultimately mean that the airport widely known by its BNA code will take on a public identity reflecting Parton’s singular connection to Tennessee and to Music City. The three-letter airport code is expected to remain unchanged, preserving a long-standing designation used across aviation and airline systems.
A unanimous tribute
The board’s vote came just weeks after Parton’s death and followed a renewed public campaign to name the airport after her. A petition supporting the idea, started in 2025 by fan Lydia Popovich, surpassed 175,000 signatures after Parton’s death, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
At Friday’s meeting, airport commissioners praised Parton’s artistic legacy, philanthropy and broad appeal across political, regional and generational lines. The action received support from Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, and Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell of Nashville, a remarkable convergence in a state capital where public institutions and political authority are frequently disputed.
“Dolly has always helped the world fall in love with Tennessee,” Lee said after the vote, calling it an important step toward honoring her legacy.
The airport authority said it was grateful for enthusiasm from the community and Parton fans around the world. It said it would work with “appropriate parties” to determine how Parton’s name and legacy should be incorporated into the airport’s identity.
That qualification is significant. While numerous news reports and social-media messages have referred to a possible “Dolly Parton International Airport,” the authority has not adopted that exact name. The legally and operationally important fact is that the board has voted to begin the renaming process, not to finalize a new official title.
That distinction matters in airport governance, where a public-facing name change can require decisions on signage, digital platforms, vendor agreements, branding, maps, communications, legal documents and coordination with federal aviation authorities.
More than a musical honor
Parton’s place in Tennessee culture makes the proposal more than a ceremonial tribute.
Born in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Parton rose from a childhood marked by poverty to become one of the most successful and recognizable figures in American popular culture. Her songs, including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You”, crossed country, pop and global music markets. Her acting career included performances in films such as 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias.
Yet her legacy in Tennessee extends well beyond entertainment.
Through the Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library, Parton became particularly associated with literacy and access to books for children. Her philanthropic work gave her an image that was distinct from the political and commercial divisions that often accompany celebrity. In the eyes of supporters, placing her name on Nashville’s main airport would offer arriving visitors an immediate symbol of the city’s musical identity, generosity and international reach.
Nashville International Airport is not just a local transportation facility. It is one of the country’s 50 busiest airports, making a potential Parton naming distinction nationally notable. If completed, the change would make Parton the first woman to have her name attached to an airport in that group, according to The Associated Press.
The distinction reflects how airport names function in American civic life. They can honor presidents, military figures, local political leaders, civil-rights pioneers and cultural icons. A name can become part of a city’s brand, directing the first impression for tourists, business travelers and new residents.
For Nashville, a city that markets itself around songwriting, live performance and country music, Parton offers an unusually natural civic symbol. Her name is recognizable internationally, but her public identity has remained deeply associated with Tennessee.
A complex process ahead
The board’s vote was decisive, but the work of renaming has only begun.
The airport authority said Friday that the decision represents the first part of a broader process and that it anticipates more definitive implementation plans in the coming months.
Among the questions still to be resolved are the formal name, the timetable, the estimated cost and the role of Parton’s estate or associated organizations in approving the use of her name and likeness.
Associated Press reporting said the effort could take a year or longer. Airport officials will need to work with Parton’s estate and may consider practical questions related to licensing and possible merchandise sales.
A full airport rebranding could involve replacing signs at terminal entrances, roadways and parking facilities; revising airport websites, maps and mobile applications; updating vendor materials; adjusting marketing campaigns; and coordinating with airlines, travel agencies and government agencies. Though passengers may eventually encounter a different name at curbside and online, aviation operations depend on a dense network of codes and identifiers that are not necessarily changed with a ceremonial renaming.
That is why BNA is expected to remain BNA. The code, tied to Nashville’s aviation history and used by airlines, flight-planning systems and travelers worldwide, carries its own operational importance. Retaining it would allow the airport to embrace a new honorific name without disrupting the digital and logistical systems that process millions of passengers.
Federal participation may also be needed. Local reporting has noted that approval by the Federal Aviation Administration could be among the steps required for a formal name change, though the airport authority has not yet released a complete implementation schedule.
Bipartisan accord amid a dispute
The vote came against an unusually contentious local backdrop.
Nashville has two competing airport authorities, one backed by the Republican-controlled Tennessee state government and the other associated with the Democratic-controlled city government. The dual system emerged from a 2023 dispute over airport control and has been the subject of continued political and legal conflict.
Friday’s decision did not resolve that larger dispute. But the proposed tribute to Parton provided a rare point of agreement.
The state-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority approved the motion directing its chief executive to begin the renaming process. The city-controlled authority and Mayor O’Connell also support the concept, according to the mayor’s office. “The FAA’s going to get two votes from two boards, both in favor,” mayoral spokesman Alex Apple told The Associated Press.
That convergence may help prevent the name change from becoming another front in Nashville’s political and legal battle. It also speaks to the exceptional breadth of Parton’s public standing.
Stuart McWhorter, a member of the state-controlled board and a deputy to Gov. Lee, alluded to the airport-control conflict at Friday’s meeting. He suggested that, in Parton’s spirit, officials could move past litigation and return to working together.
The sentiment captured the symbolic power of the proposal: a tribute to a performer who long projected warmth, humor and accessibility is now prompting competing political institutions to find common ground.
Parton’s own views on honors
The airport renaming also carries an element of posthumous irony. During her life, Parton had repeatedly shown reluctance to accept formal public monuments.
In 2021, Tennessee lawmakers proposed placing a statue of her on the state Capitol grounds. Parton asked lawmakers to withdraw the measure, citing the country’s broader challenges at the time and suggesting that the honor might be more appropriate “somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone.”
Supporters of the airport proposal have pointed to those remarks as an indication that a memorial after her death may be consistent with her wishes, even if she declined similar gestures during her lifetime.
For Popovich, the fan whose petition helped build public attention around the proposal, the vote marked an emotional milestone. She described Parton as “the best of Tennessee” and said the effort offers a way for residents to express their affection and grief.
The airport authority, however, has pledged to approach the decision deliberately. Its statement emphasized that the final name remains undecided and that implementation details are not yet complete.
What comes next
The key next step is an implementation plan from the airport authority and its president and chief executive, Doug Kreulen. That plan is likely to clarify the preferred formal name, projected costs, responsible agencies, required approvals and how the airport will incorporate Parton’s legacy into its physical and commercial identity.
The process will also determine whether Nashville chooses a straightforward title such as Dolly Parton International Airport, a hybrid name that retains greater continuity with the existing brand, or another variation intended to honor Parton while preserving the airport’s institutional history.
The decision will be watched closely by the music industry, Tennessee civic leaders and travelers who use the fast-growing airport as a gateway to the region. It is also likely to become part of Nashville’s global brand, adding Parton’s name to the city’s first point of contact for millions of visitors each year.
For now, Nashville International Airport remains its official name. But Friday’s 6-0 vote means the idea has moved beyond a fan campaign and into the machinery of public policy.
If the process is completed, travelers arriving in Music City may soon be greeted by an airport named for an artist whose voice, songs and public generosity helped make Tennessee recognizable far beyond its borders.
