Tennessee Governor plans to rename Nashville International Airport to honour Dolly Parton after her passing

Is the Nashville Airport getting a new name? Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has proposed to rename the airport to honour American legend Dolly Parton who passed away on Tuesday at 80.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee wants to rename Nashville International Airport

On Friday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's office announced that they plan on renaming Nashville International Airport in honour of Dolly Parton, a country music icon.

In a statement, the Governor stated, "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. 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",.

According to reports, the proposal will be discussed by the Metro Nashville Airport Authority who will go over their naming policy on Thursday, September 17, 2026, in a meeting.

The legendary Dolly Parton was born in Tennessee's Pittman Center on January 19, 1946. The singer-songwriter and actress also spent a lot of years in Nashville with her husband, Carl Dean.

Dolly passed away in Nashville on Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer, her family announced. Fans think it is fitting that the legend is honoured and her name immortalised by renaming the airport. As of now, more than 160,000 people have signed an online petition urging the authorities to change the name of the Nashville Airport, which gave a boost to the demand.

If the plan goes through, Dolly would be the second ever American musician (after Louis Armstrong in New Orleans) and the first woman in America to have an airport named after them.

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