Tennessee is moving to place Dolly Parton’s name on Nashville International Airport, creating what state leaders hope will become a permanent tribute to the late country music legend’s artistic, cultural, and philanthropic legacy.
Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced their intention Friday to name the airport in Parton’s honor. The announcement came three days after Parton died at the age of 80 and amid a rapidly growing public campaign calling for the airport to become Dolly Parton International Airport.
The change, however, has not been formally approved.
The final decision rests with the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, which is scheduled to consider Lee’s proposal and its existing naming policy during a September 17 meeting.
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“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in the official announcement. “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.”
Dolly Parton’s Team Is Open to the Proposal
Lee said he spoke with representatives for Parton about the proposed tribute during the week. According to the governor’s office, Parton’s team appreciated the extraordinary public response following her death and was “touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation.”
That language stops short of announcing a formal agreement with Parton’s estate or confirming the airport’s eventual name. The state’s announcement said only that Lee and airport officials intend to name BNA “in honor of Dolly Parton.”
Dolly Parton International Airport is the name being promoted by supporters, but it has not yet been identified by the Airport Authority as the final official name.
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean – YouTube, Entertainment Tonight
Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, nevertheless offered a strong endorsement of the larger plan.
“BNA is the front door to Music City, and with that comes a responsibility to reflect the very best of who we are as a community,” Kreulen said.
He pointed to Parton’s ability to welcome people from different backgrounds, as well as her belief that dignity, kindness, and opportunity should not be determined by someone’s origins or economic circumstances.
That spirit, Kreulen argued, reflects the experience Nashville’s airport should offer every passenger, whether someone is boarding a private aircraft or taking a first flight.
A Public Campaign Surged After Parton’s Death
The effort to put Parton’s name on the airport began long before her death.
Tennessee residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion launched a Change.org petition on January 21, 2025.
The petition presented Parton as both a Tennessee cultural ambassador and a philanthropist whose work extended well beyond her recording career. It specifically cited the Imagination Library, the book-gifting program Parton founded through the Dollywood Foundation in 1995.
Supporters also adopted an appropriately playful slogan for the campaign: “We could all be Departin’ from Parton.”
The proposal received renewed attention after Parton’s death. Its signature count climbed from more than 89,000 on Wednesday to more than 155,000 by Friday, according to reporting from Axios and the Associated Press. It had surpassed 163,000 verified signatures by Saturday.
Ribbon-cutting for Dolly Parton’s Tennessean Travel Stop – Good Morning America, YouTube
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A plane also flew over Nashville on Friday carrying a banner directing people to the airport-renaming campaign.
Nashville Metro Councilmember Russ Bradford added political momentum by announcing that he would sponsor a resolution asking the Airport Authority to consider the change.
Bradford described Parton as a global ambassador who helped define what Nashville and Tennessee mean to people around the world. He also emphasized that a Metro Council resolution would be an expression of support, not a binding decision.
“The final decision on any name change rests with the Airport Authority, not with Council,” Bradford said in a response published by the petition organizers.
Tennessee state Rep. Todd Warner has separately pledged to introduce legislation supporting the Dolly Parton International Airport name.
The Renaming Faces a Policy Obstacle
Despite the support from Lee, Kreulen, local officials, and more than 160,000 petition signers, Nashville International Airport has not been renamed.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority maintains a policy governing the naming of airport buildings, facilities, streets, and other properties. According to the Associated Press, that policy ordinarily requires a person to have been dead for at least two years before an airport property can be named in that person’s honor.
Parton died on August 25, meaning an immediate renaming would require the authority to revise, waive, or otherwise address that waiting period.
Dolly Parton has fun with guests at Dollywood’s 40th anniversary celebration – Photo Credit: That Park Place
The governor’s announcement acknowledged the issue without explaining how officials intend to resolve it. It said the current naming policy and Lee’s proposal would both be addressed at the Airport Authority’s September 17 meeting, with additional details expected in the coming weeks.
That makes the distinction between an announced intention and an approved name change particularly important. The governor supports the proposal, and the Airport Authority’s chief executive supports it, but the authority’s governing body must still take formal action.
No implementation date, estimated cost, or plan for replacing airport signs and branding has been announced.
There has also been no official announcement that the airport’s three-letter BNA code would change. BNA derives from Berry Field Nashville, reflecting the airport’s original Berry Field name. Airports frequently retain established codes after adopting new names, so a Dolly Parton tribute would not necessarily affect the identifier used on tickets, luggage tags, and airline systems.
The Airport Would Be a Historic Tribute
If approved, the change would carry significance beyond Tennessee.
The Associated Press reports that Parton would become the first woman individually named on one of the 50 busiest airports in the United States.
Parton’s supporters argue that few Tennesseans have a stronger claim to such a prominent public honor.
Born in Sevier County and raised in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Parton carried her East Tennessee identity throughout a career that made her one of the world’s most recognizable performers. Songs including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You” crossed genre and generational boundaries, while films such as 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias expanded her popularity beyond country music.
Dolly Parton Dressed As a Firefighter At Dollywood, Photo Credit: Kris Harris King, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Her philanthropic work became just as central to her public legacy. The Imagination Library grew from a program serving children in her home county into an international initiative that mails millions of free books to young children.
That combination of music, Tennessee identity, generosity, and broad public affection is at the center of the airport campaign.
The argument is not simply that Parton was famous. It is that she became one of Tennessee’s most effective ambassadors, carrying an image of the state around the world that emphasized warmth, humor, faith, opportunity, and compassion.
Dolly Parton International Airport Is Not Official—Yet
The proposal now heads toward the September 17 Airport Authority meeting, where officials will have to decide both whether to proceed with the tribute and how to handle a naming policy that would otherwise delay it.
Lee’s support and Kreulen’s endorsement give the campaign substantial institutional backing. The response from Parton’s representatives also removes one potential obstacle, even though her team has not announced final approval of a particular name.
For now, travelers are still flying through Nashville International Airport, and BNA remains BNA.
But if the Airport Authority agrees to revise its rules and approve the proposal, Tennessee’s gateway to Music City could soon carry the name of the woman who did as much as anyone to bring the city—and the state—to the world.
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