Nashville’s booming international airport could fly under a new banner meant to honor Tennessee icon Dolly Parton, who died this week at 80 years old. Public officials, petitions and kitchen-table buzz have coalesced around the memorial gesture as national tributes pour in for the country music and philanthropy giant.
The biggest hurdle might be navigating the complex bureaucratic landscape governing airport affairs. But on Friday afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee's office announced its intention to partner with the Nashville International Airport to make the name change, saying in a statement: "Gov. Lee spoke with Dolly’s team about the proposal this week. Her team expressed their appreciation for the extraordinary outpouring of support to honor Dolly and said they are touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation."
Currently known as BNA — a derivation of the airport’s predecessor tarmac Berry Field — Nashville International Airport has suffered headlines this summer after state lawmakers constituted their own authorities for major Tennessee airports as of July 1. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) continued to meet throughout the summer and city attorneys filed a federal suit in July to contest the state’s competing authority.
Remembrances and tributes to the late country legend continue to pour in, from musicians to politicians and beyond
Additional board rules — two specifically requiring an individual to be dead for at least two years and to have made a contribution to aviation — outline eligibility criteria for anyone considered for a BNA rename. To start, these rules must be suspended or changed to accommodate the Parton proposal.
Public officials — including Nashville’s Democratic mayor, Republican state lawmakers and local Metro councilmembers — have responded. On Friday morning, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell conditioned his support on the wishes of Parton’s family.
“This is a wonderful idea,” said O’Connell at a Friday morning press conference commemorating Parton’s Imagination Library, a childhood literacy initiative. “We’re making sure any of these bold, great ideas are keeping with the wishes of the family and the foundation.”
A public petition for the name change now has more than 150,000 signatures. On Friday morning, a plane towing a banner in support of the Change.org petition flew over downtown Nashville, including the Tennessee State Capitol. Metro Councilmember Russ Bradford, whose district includes the airport, committed to introducing local legislation supporting the name change, though the council doesn’t have the power to make the decision directly.
Republican legislators have voiced their support for the change, including Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), who previously filed legislation to rename the airport after Donald Trump, and Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), who told the Nashville Banner he would back the effort as long as Parton's family was on board.
Getting to a yes will take time. It also requires a resolution for the ongoing power struggle over which board — the city’s or the state’s — formally represents the airport. The governing body can then request a change with the FAA, which holds the practical power to redesignate an airport. The widely supported memorialization could help warm both legal disputes and the partisan warfare that has dogged city-state relations and Tennesseans — a testament to the East Tennessee native and longtime Nashville resident's universal, bipartisan popularity.
Nicolle S. Praino and D. Patrick Rodgers contributed reporting.
