The Nashville, Tennessee, airport has taken its first official step toward being renamed in honor of Dolly Parton, following a unanimous vote in favor of the project.
On Friday, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 to begin the lengthy process to name the Nashville International Airport after Parton, who died in late August after “bravely facing a brief battle with cancer.”
With the vote, the airport CEO and President Doug Kreulen is authorized to immediately begin planning and implementing the name change — which has not yet been officially decided, though Dolly Parton Nashville International Airport is one option, Kreulen said, per The Tennessean.
Kreulen said he previously had a “very productive” meeting with the Parton family, whom he plans to include throughout the naming and implementation process.
The process could take anywhere from a few months to years. A sweeping update to the airport’s signage will be necessary, along with replacing all airport-branded merchandise, uniforms, bus decals, legal documents and a 40-foot-tall airport monument.
“We are grateful for the tremendous support and enthusiasm from our community and Dolly’s fans around the world,” read a statement from the airport, per The Tennessean. “We look forward to sharing additional details as plans are finalized.”
The move comes after more than 175,000 people, including singer Sheryl Crow among hordes of fans, signed an online petition to rename the airport after the country music superstar, who was born in rural Tennessee and later moved to Nashville.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee almost immediately backed the effort and announced plans to name the airport after Parton just days after her death, in honor of her “enduring legacy” and “immeasurable impact on Tennessee.”
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in a statement.
“From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her,” he continued. “At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
An early swell of public support for the project emerged in 2025, before Parton’s death, but eventually lost momentum. Parton caught wind of the movement, though said she could never envision it becoming a reality.
“I think that’s probably more of a joke than anything,” she told The Tennessean. “I mean, it does sound like a lot of fun to say: ‘Your flight is departin’ from Nashville’s D. Parton.’”
