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A growing movement is calling for Nashville International Airport to be renamed in honor of Dolly Parton, and the idea is gaining serious momentum following the death of the country music icon.
What began as a grassroots petition in early 2025 has suddenly become a much bigger conversation in Tennessee. The Change.org petition calling for Nashville International Airport (BNA) to become Dolly Parton International Airport has now surpassed 100,000 signatures, with the campaign gaining tens of thousands of new supporters following Parton’s death on August 25 at age 80.
And this time, the idea has some political muscle behind it.
Tennessee Lawmakers Get Behind The Idea
Tennessee State Rep. Todd Warner has publicly said he plans to introduce legislation supporting the name change.
“Yes, I will definitely introduce legislation to rename the BNA airport Dolly Parton International Airport!” Warner wrote in response to the petition.
Warner is no stranger to the Nashville airport naming debate. He previously introduced legislation proposing that BNA be renamed after President Donald Trump, but that effort failed in committee. Warner has since said he believes Parton would be a fitting choice, pointing to her enormous contributions to Tennessee through music, tourism, business and philanthropy.
Nashville Metro Councilmember Russ Bradford is also supporting the proposal. According to Axios Nashville, Bradford has already reached out to members of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority board about pursuing the change.
Sheryl Crow has also voiced support for naming the airport after Parton.
What Would It Take To Rename BNA?
Changing the name isn’t as simple as putting a new sign over the terminal entrance.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) owns and operates Nashville International Airport. The airport’s current governing board was established under a new state law and includes six appointed commissioners, with additional appointments pending.
Any official name change would ultimately require action by the Airport Authority and approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
There would also be the practical matter of rebranding signage, maps, websites and other airport materials. Warner has acknowledged that changing the name would come with a cost, although he believes Tennessee could absorb the expense.
The good news for anyone who loves the familiar three-letter identifier: BNA could stay.
What Does BNA Stand For?
Here’s where Nashville’s airport history gets interesting.
BNA isn’t simply an abbreviation for Nashville International Airport.
The letters come from Berry Field Nashville Airport, the airport’s original identity. Berry Field was named for Col. Harry S. Berry, a Tennessee native, World War I and World War II veteran and Works Progress Administration administrator who played a role in establishing the Nashville airfield.
The airport opened as Berry Field in 1937. When the modern terminal was built in the 1980s, the facility became Nashville International Airport/Berry Field, with BNA remaining its IATA airport code.
So a Dolly Parton International Airport could theoretically retain BNA—giving Nashville the unusual combination of a brand-new namesake with an airport code carrying nearly 90 years of history.
Why Dolly?
For supporters, the answer is pretty simple.
Few people have done more to put Tennessee—and particularly the musical identity of the state—on the world stage than Dolly Parton.
Parton wasn’t simply a country music superstar. She became one of Tennessee’s most recognizable ambassadors through her music, Dollywood, her business ventures and her extraordinary philanthropic work.
Her Imagination Library has become an international literacy program, providing free books to young children, while her work through the Dollywood Foundation has focused on education and improving opportunities for families.
She also helped make East Tennessee a major tourism destination through Dollywood, while Nashville has long been an important part of her professional life.
For Nashville, an airport bearing her name would put that legacy literally at the front door of the city.
It Isn’t A Done Deal
As exciting as the idea may be for Dolly fans, Nashville International Airport has not been renamed.
Right now, there is a petition, growing political support and a promise from a Tennessee lawmaker to introduce legislation. The Airport Authority and FAA still have roles to play before anything becomes official.
The petition itself actually predates Parton’s death. Tennessee residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion launched the campaign in January 2025, originally arguing that Parton’s music, philanthropy and connection to Tennessee made her an ideal representative for Nashville and the state.
The campaign simply exploded after her death.
And now what started as a fan idea has become a legitimate Nashville political and civic conversation.
Would Dolly Have Wanted It?
That’s the most interesting question.
Dolly Parton has spent her entire career deflecting attention back toward her music, her family, her home state and the people she wants to help. She famously declined a proposed statue of herself at the Tennessee State Capitol in 2021, saying she didn’t want the honor while she was still alive.
But whether Dolly herself would have embraced an airport bearing her name is now beside the point.
Her name is already synonymous with Tennessee.
And if the current movement succeeds, travelers could someday arrive in Music City at an airport carrying the name of the woman who helped define what Music City means to the world.
Dolly Parton International Airport.
It certainly has a Nashville ring to it. I for one am 100% on board!
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