The city’s mayor and Tennessee’s governor threw their support behind the name change last month
Edward HelmoreSat 12 Sep 2026 09.40 EDTLast modified on Sat 12 Sep 2026 09.41 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe Nashville airport is to be renamed after Dolly Parton, a board of commissioners voted on Friday, in tribute to the Smoky Mountain singer who is estimated to bring $1.8bn each year to Tennessee through her Dollywood theme park.
The decision ensures that Parton, who died last month at 80 years old, will be memorialized with her name on an airport, although the renaming process will take time to complete.
In her lifetime, Parton did not think the idea, which came about last year, would come to fruition.
“I think that’s probably more of a joke than anything,” Parton told the Tennessean. “I mean, it does sound like a lot of fun to say: ‘Your flight is departin’ from Nashville’s D Parton.’”
The move to rename gained traction last month when the Nashville mayor, Freddie O’Connell, and the Tennessee governor, Bill Lee, threw their support behind the name change.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in a statement, recognizing what he called her “Volunteer spirit”.
“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,” Lee added.
After the airport’s commissioners voted in favor of the change, Lee said it was an “important step to honor her remarkable legacy” as “Dolly has always helped the world fall in love with Tennessee”.
The name change is likely to be pricey since it will require new signage across the entire 4,500-acre (1,700-hectare) property, and updates to an airport monuments, merchandise, shuttle buses, uniforms, business cards, legal contracts and leases.
Although the new airport name in her honor has not been decided, Tennessean columnist Alejandro Ramos argued last month that the case for the change “is larger than music” because of her contributions to the state of Tennessee and to international literacy through her Imagination Library charity.
“Parton’s songs helped make Tennessee recognizable around the world. But her deepest legacy may be what she did with the success that followed. She accumulated the kind of fame, wealth and influence few people ever experience. Then she repeatedly turned those resources outward,” Ramos wrote.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority said in a statement: “While a final name has not yet been determined, we are working closely with the appropriate parties to thoughtfully determine how Dolly Parton’s name and legacy will be incorporated”.
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