Rename Nashville airport after Dolly Parton? Governor, BNA are on board

Rename Nashville airport after Dolly Parton? Governor, BNA are on board.

Key points

• 28, a plane towing a banner urging the renaming the airport after Parton buzzed over the Tennessee State Capitol in downtown Nashville.
• The Metro Nashville Airport Authority will address current policy that bars them from naming the airport after Parton at their Sept.
• Plane flies a banner for the "Parton International Airport" petition on Friday, Aug.
• Bill Lee and the Nashville International Airport (BNA) confirmed Aug.
• Born and raised in Tennessee where she spent much of her life, Parton died Aug.

Rename Nashville airport after Dolly Parton? Governor, BNA are on board. Hadley Hitson, Natalie Neysa Alund USA TODAY NETWORK.

Plane flies over Nashville to promote a petition for "Parton International Airport".

Plane flies a banner for the "Parton International Airport" petition on Friday, Aug. 28.

On your next flight to or from Nashville, you might be arriving or "D. Parton" from the Dolly Parton International Airport.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the Nashville International Airport (BNA) confirmed Aug. 28 they are pushing to name airport after the country music legend.

Born and raised in Tennessee where she spent much of her life, Parton died Aug. 25 after a short battle with cancer. She was 80.

"Gov. Lee spoke with Dolly's team regarding the proposal this week, " Lee's office stated in an official note sent to the USA TODAY Network. "Her team expressed their appreciation for the extraordinary outpouring of support to honor Dolly and said they are touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation."

Lee remarked Parton's unique enduring legacy as a great musician, philanthropist and role model is one of special pride for the state.

"Dolly Parton's extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state, " Lee remarked. "From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her. At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state's favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly's music, generosity, faith, and kindness."

On the morning of Aug. 28, a plane towing a banner urging the renaming the airport after Parton buzzed over the Tennessee State Capitol in downtown Nashville.

For context, the aircraft was paid for by online petition platform Change.org and it directed onlookers to sign a petition to backing the renaming. The effort to name the airport after Parton began last year and collected tens of thousands of signatures in backing.

"Everybody is looking for a way to honor Dolly and her legacy, " petition organizer Dan Dion remarked. "Our airport is so significant, and there's symbolism in flying into Parton Airport. With Dolly's message of love, acceptance, music, kindness, humor and all these things, individuals feel that she is representative of what Tennessee truly is."

Who will own it? Dolly Parton leaves behind a legendary music catalog. Nashville Airport Authority to discuss change next month.

Notably, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority will address current policy that bars them from naming the airport after Parton at their Sept. 17 session.

Current policy allows airport facilities to be named only for individuals who have been dead at least two years and who produced significant contributions to the airport authority or aviation in Middle Tennessee.

When Dion and comedian Lydia Popovich introduced an online petition as state lawmakers considered a proposal to rename BNA for President Donald Trump, the campaign to rename Nashville International Airport after Dolly Parton began in January 2025. Dion remarked the effort was not intended as a political statement.

"It wasn't an explicitly anti-Trump thing, " Dion remarked. "It was always pro-Dolly, and still continues to be."

What began as a grassroots effort swiftly gained momentum, eventually drawing national attention and reaching Parton herself.

"I think that's probably more of a joke than anything, " Parton remarked, in an exclusive conversation with The Tennessean on Jan. 28, 2025, at Belmont University in Nashville. "I mean, it does sound like a lot of fun to say: 'Your flight is departin' from Nashville's D. Parton.'".

Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at [email protected]. N atalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

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