Dolly PartonNashville International Airport could soon look very different, with plans introduced to rename the destination to Dolly Parton International Airport.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport (BNA) shared the news on Friday (28 August) in a joint press release. Lee said he spoke with Parton’s team about renaming the airport in her honour, and “they are touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation.”
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee commented in a statement, per PEOPLE. “At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favourite daughter and greet travellers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
In a social media statement, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell added, “Dolly was in the process of working with us on a remarkable hotel and museum — SongTeller — that she called her love letter to Nashville. Now it’s our turn to share a love letter to Dolly — by renaming Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport in Nashville.”
Lee’s proposal to rename the airport will be discussed at the next Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) meeting on Thursday, 17 September.
The push to rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport follows renewed interest in a Change.org petition, which initially launched last January but has picked up “reinvigorated” votes since Parton’s passing. The petition has amassed over 160,000 signatures.
Sheryl Crow, alongside country artists Kaitlin Butts and The Kentucky Gentlemen, are among the celebrity voices supporting the petition.
Dolly Parton passed away on Tuesday, 25 August, following a “brief battle” with cancer, her representatives confirmed. She was 80.
Parton leaves behind a legacy of music, philanthropy, and acting – see some of the tributes for the beloved country icon here.
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport® (BNA®), announced their intent to name BNA in honor of Dolly Parton.
— Fly Nashville (@Fly_Nashville) August 28, 2026
Read more here: https://t.co/x1DLDKrNNC pic.twitter.com/2XYWlU0HNC
At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that BNA would bear @DollyParton’s name.
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) August 28, 2026
Today, in partnership with @Fly_Nashville, we announced our intent to honor Tennessee’s favorite daughter and her indelible legacy.
Link: https://t.co/bGBXYqp0d1 pic.twitter.com/Jvf4Em9Amq
Dolly Parton thought the campaign to rename Nashville’s airport after her was a joke. “I don’t think anybody’s all that serious about it,” she told Gayle King last year.
— Change.org (@Change) August 27, 2026
Turns out, her fans are very serious.
In the wake of her passing, the call for Dolly Parton International… pic.twitter.com/EYnOKB2MZf
