Just three days after country music legend Dolly Parton died at the age of 80, a remarkable proposal has gained serious momentum in Tennessee: rename Nashville International Airport in her honor.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport officials announced on August 28 that they are pursuing the idea of renaming the airport “Dolly Parton International Airport.”
The timing is striking because the campaign was actually launched more than a year before Parton’s death.
A Change org petition calling for the airport to be renamed was started in January 2025 by Tennessee residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion. After Parton’s death on August 25, the campaign was dramatically reinvigorated and had gathered more than 150,000 signatures by August 28.
And the idea has attracted some high-profile support.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell backed the proposal, describing the renaming as a “love letter” to Parton. Country singer Sheryl Crow has also voiced her support, while Tennessee State Rep. Todd Warner said he would be willing to introduce legislation supporting the change.
There was even an aerial push for the campaign.
On August 28, a plane flew over the Tennessee State Capitol and Nashville’s Broadway district towing a banner directing people to the Dolly Parton Airport petition.
But there is an important catch: the airport has NOT been officially renamed yet.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority is expected to discuss the proposal and its naming policy at a meeting on September 17. Any eventual change would also require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
And then there is the airport code.
Nashville International Airport is known worldwide by the three-letter code BNA. The letters come from Berry Field Nashville Airport, named after Col. Harry Smith Berry, a Tennessee veteran who helped establish the airfield.
So even if the name changes, travelers could still be flying into BNA — potentially under a very different name.
The proposed tribute would be a fitting one for a Tennessee icon whose influence stretches far beyond music. Parton’s career has been closely tied to Tennessee, from Dollywood to her philanthropy and decades of contributions to Nashville’s cultural identity.
For now, the airport remains Nashville International Airport.
But if the proposal succeeds, millions of travelers arriving in Nashville could soon see a very different name on the airport signs:
Dolly Parton International Airport.
