Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport have moved to rename BNA in honour of Dolly Parton, with the proposal due before the Metro Nashville Airport Authority on 17 September. The plan is still only an announcement, not a final renaming, and the airport’s current naming rules could delay any change because they require a person to have been dead for at least two years.
The proposal follows Parton’s death earlier this week at the age of 80 and frames the airport naming as a tribute to her legacy across Tennessee and beyond. The state’s release described the move as a partnership to honour one of the state’s best-known cultural figures, but no final board vote has been reported. Any exception to the naming policy, or the practical steps needed to implement a rename, still has to be resolved by the airport authority.