Nashville International Airport and Gov. Bill Lee have announced plans to name BNA in honor of Dolly Parton, putting a long-discussed tribute on the table as the airport authority prepares to take it up next month. The proposal now heads to a Sept. 17 meeting, where the Metro Nashville Airport Authority will have to decide how its naming policy applies before anything can move forward.
The announcement gives the idea formal weight after a surge of public support pushed a petition to rename BNA as Dolly Parton International Airport to about 79,000 signatures this week. Lee said he spoke with Parton’s team about the proposal this week and framed the move as a fit for the airport that welcomes the world through Tennessee’s largest city.
Lee said Parton’s extraordinary life is woven into the state’s fabric, and that an airport serving as a gateway to Tennessee should bear the name of its favorite daughter. His statement turned the proposal from a popular online campaign into an official public push, with state and airport leaders now aligned on the idea.
Parton’s team responded cautiously but warmly. It said it appreciates the outpouring of support, is touched by the idea and is open to further discussions. That leaves the proposal in a familiar place for major naming changes: widely embraced, publicly celebrated and still dependent on a formal policy review before it can advance.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority has the last practical word for now, and its Sept. 17 meeting is where the campaign meets the rules. Support alone will not rename BNA; the authority must first address the policy that governs any change, which means the next step is not a vote of applause but a test of whether the proposal can survive the airport’s own process.
