NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee officials plan to rename Nashville International Airport in honor of country music legend Dolly Parton, following her death earlier this week at the age of 80.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced Friday that they intend to name the airport after Parton as a permanent tribute to the singer’s life and influence on the state.
The proposal is not yet final. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority will consider changes to its naming policy and the proposed renaming at a meeting scheduled for Sept. 17.
Lee said he had spoken with Parton’s team about the idea during the week. Her representatives expressed appreciation for the proposal and were open to further discussions, according to the governor’s office.
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Parton died peacefully in Nashville on Aug. 25, according to a statement from her family. She was 80. Her death prompted tributes from musicians, political leaders and fans around the world.
The proposed airport renaming would give one of Tennessee’s most prominent public facilities the name of an artist whose career was closely associated with the state.
Parton was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1946 and moved to Nashville after graduating from high school to pursue a career in music.
She eventually became one of country music’s most recognizable performers, recording songs including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Parton sold more than 100 million records during her career and received 11 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her influence in Tennessee also extended beyond music.
Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation and launched the Imagination Library in 1995. The program mails books to young children at no cost to their families and has expanded from Parton’s home county to communities across the United States and several other countries.
The program has distributed hundreds of millions of books since its creation.
Nashville International Airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen said the airport serves as the “front door to Music City” and that Parton’s legacy reflected the qualities Nashville wanted to present to visitors.
The airport is commonly known by its BNA code and is one of the principal gateways to Nashville, whose tourism industry is closely connected to its reputation as a center of American country music.
According to the airport authority, BNA generated an estimated $13.8 billion in economic activity in 2024 and supported about 80,000 jobs.
Changing the airport’s name, however, requires the authority to address its existing naming rules.
The authority adopted its current naming policy in 2010 and most recently updated it in 2024. Following Parton’s death, it acknowledged receiving public inquiries about renaming the airport in her honor.
Reuters reported that the current policy prevents airport properties from being named for someone who has been dead for fewer than two years. The authority is expected to consider modifying that restriction at its Sept. 17 meeting.
The proposal follows other efforts to commemorate Parton in her home state.
Earlier this year, Tennessee lawmakers approved naming a section of U.S. Highways 411 and 25W the Dolly Parton Parkway. Lee also proclaimed Jan. 19, Parton’s 80th birthday, as Dolly Parton Day in Tennessee.
More details about the airport proposal are expected following the September meeting.
