Nashville is putting its biggest musical icon on the arrivals board. Weeks after Dolly Parton's death at age 80 in August 2026, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority board voted unanimously, 6-0, on September 11, 2026 to begin renaming Nashville International Airport in her honour. It's an unusually fast move: the airport's own policy previously required a two-year waiting period after a person's death before a rename, and the board waived into action almost immediately.
Details are still up in the air. The authority hasn't confirmed the exact new name or a timeline, saying only that it is working with the relevant parties to decide how Parton's name and legacy will be woven in. One thing travellers don't need to worry about: the airport code stays BNA. Codes rarely change when an airport is renamed, and this one dates back to the facility's original identity as Berry Nashville Airport, named for Colonel Harry S. Berry, the 1930s Works Progress Administration administrator who helped develop Nashville.
The rename has landed well with fans. Social media responses ranged from 'well-deserved' sentiment to suggestions that a butterfly should feature in the new branding — a long-standing Parton symbol that also appears in the Dollywood logo. Meanwhile, American Airlines is adding its own tribute: from March 2027, the Dallas Fort Worth to Nashville service currently numbered 1396 becomes flight 925, a nod to '9 to 5.'
Nashville was where Parton built her career after leaving home post-high school, so the airport rename slots neatly into a city already full of her. Travellers can build a Dolly-themed itinerary without much effort: catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry, have a drink at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge beside the Ryman Auditorium, and since fall 2026, visit the Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum on the third floor of the SongTeller Hotel — a property Parton described as her love letter to the city. Dollywood, her theme park in Pigeon Forge about three hours east, was voted the best theme park of 2025, beating out Disney.
For anyone planning a trip to Music City, the practical takeaway is simple: nothing changes for booking yet. You'll still search flights to BNA, and the rename will likely take months to roll out. When it lands, arriving in Nashville will feel that bit more like walking into the heart of country music history.
