Nashville Airport to Be Renamed for Dolly Parton
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- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced Friday, three days after Dolly Parton's death, their intention to rename the airport in her honor, calling it a fitting tribute at the place "where Tennessee welcomes the world."
- Dolly Parton's team said they are "touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation," citing her Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library as evidence of her lasting imprint on the state.
- The renaming proposal was first launched via petition last year, originally as a counter to a competing proposal to name the airport after President Trump; signatures on the petition "exploded" after Parton's death.
- Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell endorsed the move and revealed Parton had been working on a Nashville hotel and museum project called SongTeller, which she described as her "love letter to Nashville."
- Nashville International Airport currently uses the code BNA — Berry Field Nashville Airport — named for WWI and WWII veteran Col. Harry Smith Berry, a Tennessee native who helped establish the airfield.
- The Metro Nashville Airport Authority is scheduled to discuss its naming policy and Lee's proposal at its Sept. 17 meeting.
Why it matters: A grassroots petition is now a governor-backed proposal inside a week of Parton's death, with Parton's team publicly supportive and MNAA set to weigh both its naming policy and the proposal on Sept. 17 — meaning the airport's current name honoring WWI/WWII veteran Col. Harry Smith Berry could be replaced within months.
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