The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority voted 6-0 to begin renaming Nashville International Airport after Dolly Parton, a move backed by Tennessee's governor and more than 160,000 petition signatures.
Six commissioners cleared the way Friday by modifying the airport authority's existing naming policy, a procedural step the board described as the opening move in what it called "a multifaceted process." No final name has been chosen. The board said it will release more definitive plans in the coming months, and it is working with unnamed "appropriate parties" to decide exactly how Parton's name and legacy will appear on the facility.
The vote came less than three weeks after Parton died at age 80 on August 25 in Nashville. The Washington Examiner reported that the country music icon died after a brief battle with cancer, and that a public petition calling for the airport to become "Dolly Parton International Airport" had already gathered more than 160,000 signatures by Friday evening.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee did not wait long after Parton's death to push for the tribute. AP News reported that Lee endorsed the name change and said he had already discussed the idea with representatives for Parton. In a statement, Lee framed the renaming in personal terms:
"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."
Lee described the airport as a natural home for Parton's legacy, a place where Tennessee's identity meets the rest of the country. The governor's office has not detailed whether additional state-level approvals will be required beyond the airport authority's own process.
Parton's family was informed of the proposal and expressed openness to continuing the conversation, Just The News reported. Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, also voiced public support for the effort.
Parton was born and raised in Tennessee. She built Dollywood, her theme park in Pigeon Forge outside Knoxville, into one of the state's most recognizable attractions. Her death triggered an outpouring that went well beyond country music, she became the most-streamed artist on the planet the day after she died.
The grassroots push for renaming the airport did not start with Parton's death. A Change.org petition titled "Rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport" had been collecting signatures at a slow pace for more than a year, sitting at roughly 53,000 names. Within hours of the announcement that Parton had died, the number more than doubled, surpassing 100,000 and eventually climbing past 155,000, the New York Post reported.
Celebrity endorsements followed. Singer Sheryl Crow voiced her support during a Katie Couric Instagram livestream:
"People are talking about trying to get the Nashville airport... changed to the Dolly Parton International Airport. I'm like, Yes! I think we should."
Tennessee state Rep. Todd Warner pledged to introduce legislation to make the name change official. Warner had previously attempted to rename the airport after Donald Trump in a bill that failed 5-12, a vote that showed the legislature's appetite for renaming the facility existed, even if lawmakers disagreed on the honoree.
The public mourning stretched across the country. Vandals scratched Parton's Walk of Fame star in the days after her burial, and even corporate missteps drew national attention during the grieving period.
AP News noted that the renaming would make Parton the first woman whose name adorns one of America's 50 busiest airports. Nashville International Airport, known by its code BNA, serves as the primary commercial gateway for Middle Tennessee and has grown steadily as the city's tourism and music industries have expanded.
The airport authority's press release struck a careful tone, acknowledging that the process is far from finished:
"While a final name has not yet been determined, we are working closely with the appropriate parties to thoughtfully determine how Dolly Parton's name and legacy will be incorporated."
The board did not specify what "appropriate parties" means, whether that includes Parton's estate, the FAA, or Nashville's metro government. It also did not say whether the airport's familiar BNA code would change, a detail that matters to airlines, freight carriers, and the travel industry. Breitbart reported the vote as the formal first step in the renaming effort.
Gov. Lee described the initiative as a tribute to what he called Parton's "indelible legacy." Parton's family gathered at her Nashville gravesite in the days after her death, and the governor's push to put her name on the state's busiest airport followed quickly.
Just The News reported that Lee framed the renaming around Parton's roots:
"Dolly Parton's extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state. From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her."
Warner, the state legislator, said he would move forward with a bill regardless of the board's action. His earlier effort to rename the airport after Trump drew bipartisan opposition, but Parton's name carries a different kind of consensus, one built on decades of philanthropy, music, and an identity that cuts across political lines.
Parton's brother Denver died at 82 earlier this year in Sevierville, adding another layer of loss for the family in a difficult stretch. The airport renaming now stands as the most visible public memorial to the singer's life.
Several practical questions hang over the process. The board has not said whether the final name will be "Dolly Parton International Airport", the name the petition uses, or some other formulation. It has not disclosed a target date for a final vote. And it has not explained whether the renaming requires approval from any body outside the airport authority itself.
What is clear is the speed. Parton died on August 25. The governor endorsed the renaming within days. The board voted on September 11. In less than three weeks, the process moved from a dormant online petition to an official, unanimous policy change by the governing authority.
For a state that prides itself on honoring its own, putting Dolly Parton's name on the front door of Nashville is about as straightforward a call as public life ever produces.
