The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has begun the formal process of renaming Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport after a unanimous vote. Governor Lee and the airport's CEO already support the move. It has also been reported that Dolly's family and her foundation agree with the name change.
This is only the very beginning of the process, with a lot more work to do:
Once the vote is confirmed, the process to make the administrative name change with the FAA will begin. The renaming is expected to cost between $8 million and $10 million, with funding expected to come from Metro, state, and airport resources.
The board will also move immediately to eliminate Rule 2010-33, which currently requires that airport properties can only be named for people who have been dead for at least 2 years.
Those involved estimate the full process, including changing all signage and completing administrative paperwork, will take six months to a year before travelers can officially book a flight in or out of Dolly Parton International Airport.
Normally, I avoid the chatter of morning news shows, but this time they actually came up with a good suggestion - putting in a butterfly garden in Dolly's honor.
Another great part of changing the name is that everyone agrees, which is sure to piss Trump off to no end, since he can't get his name on anything but the local dump without people fighting him over it.
It's official! The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners voted unanimously, 6 to 0, to modify our existing naming policy, marking the first step toward renaming Nashville International Airport® in honor of Dolly Parton. pic.twitter.com/e1N7oF6PBo
— Fly Nashville (@Fly_Nashville) September 11, 2026
