The movement to put Dolly Parton’s name on Nashville’s airport is gaining serious altitude. By Friday, August 28, the Dolly Parton airport petition had reached 152,755 signatures on Change.org, continuing a dramatic surge that followed the Tennessee icon’s death earlier this week.
Parton died Tuesday, August 25, at age 80 following what her representatives described as a “brief battle with cancer.” The singer, songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist built a career that stretched far beyond country music, making the sudden acceleration of the airport campaign one of several public efforts to memorialize her legacy.
The Dolly Parton airport campaign itself is not new. According to Change.org, Tennessee residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion launched the petition on January 21, 2025, asking officials to rename Nashville International Airport as Dolly Parton International Airport “to honor an icon who has given so much to our state and to the world.” The organizers cited Parton’s music, philanthropy, and Imagination Library as major reasons for the proposed honor.
After Parton’s death, Popovich and Dion addressed the massive increase in support. In a statement published by PEOPLE, they said, “Since her passing, tens of thousands of additional supporters have visited and signed this petition. The outpouring of support has reinvigorated our mission,” adding, “Dolly deserves to be remembered and celebrated. What a wonderful way to share her light and magic across Tennessee and the world.”
The campaign has also attracted support from artists who worked with Parton. Nashville resident Sheryl Crow backed the proposed name change during a conversation with Katie Couric. “People are talking about trying to get the Nashville airport, which I think is called BNA — I don’t even know what it stands for — to change to the Dolly Parton airport. Which I’m like, ‘Yes! I think we should,’” Crow said.
Political support for the Dolly Parton airport effort is growing as well. Tennessee State Rep. Todd Warner, who represents House District 92, responded directly to the campaign, according to Change.org. “Yes, I will definitely introduce legislation to rename the BNA airport Dolly Parton International Airport!” Warner said. The petition’s current decision-maker page identifies Warner as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Warner had previously pursued legislation seeking to rename the Nashville airport for Donald Trump, an effort that did not advance. Speaking with PEOPLE about his support for Parton, Warner said, “Dolly was so good to this state. She cared about people,” before adding, “What she has done for this state economically, what she’s done for country music— and she cared about children … Just a great person. We need more Dollys in the world.” He also told the outlet, “I think it would pay a great tribute to Dolly and what she’s done for the state and the country itself.”
At the local level, Nashville Metro Council member Russ Bradford has also moved behind the proposal. According to Change.org, Bradford said he plans to sponsor a Metro Council resolution asking the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority to consider the change. He stressed that the resolution would signal Council support rather than actually rename the airport because final naming authority rests with the airport authority.
That distinction matters because the latest information surrounding the Dolly Parton airport proposal reveals a major procedural obstacle. According to WPLN News, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s naming policy requires an individual to have been dead for at least two years before an airport property can be named in that person’s honor. The policy also calls for the honoree to have made a substantial personal contribution to the airport authority or aviation in Middle Tennessee. Under the current two-year requirement, a Parton renaming could not ordinarily happen before August 25, 2028.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority confirmed this week that it has received multiple inquiries about naming Nashville International Airport since Parton’s death. The authority said its naming policy was originally adopted in 2010 and most recently updated in 2024. Airport officials also illuminated BNA’s parking garages in pink through the weekend as a tribute to Parton and her impact on Tennessee.
The airport’s familiar BNA code has its own historical roots. According to the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, BNA stands for Berry Field Nashville and honors Col. Harry S. Berry, who served as the airport’s first administrator. The airport opened as Berry Field in 1937 before eventually becoming Nashville International Airport.
Parton herself had heard about the naming campaign long before it became a six-figure movement. In a January 2025 interview with The Tennessean, she joked about the idea while questioning whether anyone would seriously make it happen. “I think that’s probably more of a joke than anything,” Parton said. “I mean, it does sound like a lot of fun to say: ‘Your flight is departin’ from Nashville’s D. Parton.’”
More than a year later, the joke has become a campaign with more than 152,000 supporters, public backing from elected officials and a formal airport naming policy standing between the idea and reality. Whether Nashville eventually gets a Dolly Parton airport remains unresolved, but the growing petition has already turned the question into a serious conversation about how Tennessee will permanently honor one of its most recognizable cultural figures.
