Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed to honor Dolly Parton after a unanimous vote by the local airport authority. Once the effort clears all the hurdles, it will make Nashville one of the few major cities in the country with an airport named after a woman.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners, which oversees the airports, approved the name change in a 6-to-0 vote during a meeting on Friday. In a statement, the authority said that “a final name has not yet been determined” and that the vote was the first step in a “multifaceted process.” It added that it anticipated having more “definitive plans” about next steps in the coming months.
Few people, in life or in death, have united Tennessee like Ms. Parton, a singer, actress and philanthropist. The effort to rename the airport, which began in 2025, picked up steam after Ms. Parton’s death last month at 80. More than 175,000 people, including the singer Sheryl Crow, have signed an online petition supporting the name change.
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, announced his support for the renaming late last month. And Nashville Democrats, including Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who are rarely in line with Mr. Lee and state Republicans, have also supported honoring Ms. Parton.
Renaming the airport would be among the more permanent official tributes to Ms. Parton, who lived in Nashville. Previously, Ms. Parton politely declined at least one of the state’s efforts, which would have honored her with a statue at the State Capitol.
To begin the renaming effort, the board had to override a policy that prohibited it from naming a facility after someone less than two years after their death. The measure also directed airport staff to create a timeline and calculate the cost for the change.
Changing an airport’s name can be an expensive and lengthy undertaking that requires updating airport signage and coordinating with the global aviation systems that underpin airline ticketing and baggage.
It is unclear if the airport authority intends to move away from the airport’s longstanding code letters, BNA. That code stems from the airport’s original 1937 name, Berry Field, in honor of Col. Harry S. Berry, a World War I veteran and public official. Changing an airport code is rare, though it happened recently when Palm Beach International Airport, in Florida, became President Donald J. Trump International Airport, adopting the code DJT.
The cost to change the name in Nashville could run into the millions. When lawmakers weighed changing the airport’s name to honor President Trump in 2025, an estimate suggested it would cost $10 million. Most of the money for this renaming would come from the airport authority, which supports itself using aircraft landing fees, parking and terminal fees, concessions, and other funding sources.
Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.
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