Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced plans to name BNA airport in honor of Dolly Parton after a petition to rename BNA as Dolly Parton International Airport grew to about 79,000 signatures this week. Lee said he spoke with Parton’s team about the proposal this week, and the airport authority is set to address the naming issue on Sept. 17.
Lee said in a statement, “Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” and added, “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.” Parton’s team said it appreciates the outpouring of support, is touched by the idea and is open to further discussions.
Sept. 17 meeting
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority will address its naming policy and Lee’s proposal at its Sept. 17 meeting. That puts the idea into a formal review process rather than leaving it at the level of a public campaign.
The petition surge gives the proposal public momentum, but the authority’s naming policy still controls whether any change can move forward. For passengers and airport users, the practical issue is not the petition count alone; it is whether the authority changes the public name and how any approval would be handled.
Dolly Parton International Airport
The petition drive has pushed the airport name proposal into the public spotlight by pairing Lee’s support with a growing signature total. The requested name, Dolly Parton International Airport, is the version that supporters have pressed as the petition climbed this week.
Parton’s team has not shut the door on the idea. By saying it is open to further discussions, the team left room for the naming proposal to keep moving through the process that the Metro Nashville Airport Authority will take up on Sept. 17.
BNA for Dolly Parton
For now, BNA remains the airport name in use while the proposal moves through the authority’s review. The next step sits with the Metro Nashville Airport Authority, which must deal with both its own naming policy and Lee’s proposal before any change can be made.
