More than 54,000 people agree that Nashville's airport should be named for country superstar Dolly Parton, and in the wake of her death on Aug. 25, the movement is gaining even more traction.
Nashville comedian Lydia Popovich and comedy producer Dan Dion launched their petition to rename the travel hub Dolly Parton International Airport around mid-January 2025 in response to calls from Tennessee legislators to put President Donald Trump's name on the terminal.
"As proud citizens of Tennessee, we are motivated by our deep-rooted admiration for the national treasure and Tennessee legend, Dolly Parton," Popovich and Dion said in a 2025 statement. "She is not only a celebrated artist who encourages love, acceptance, and goodwill through her music,
but also a philanthropist, known for her countless contributions to society. It is only fitting that an institution as significant as Nashville International Airport carries the name of such a remarkable woman."
The campaign garnered enough attention online that it reached Parton herself. In an exclusive conversation with The Tennessean on Jan. 28, 2025 at Belmont University, Parton said she didn't expect anyone to take the request seriously.
"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.'"
At that time, the petition had less than 3,000 signatures. Now, it has 54,363 signatures and counting.
In March 2025, Republican legislators voted down thebill to rename the airport for Trump, and the Parton petition subsequently lost its steam.
However, in the hours after Parton's family announced that she had died on Aug. 25, the movement got another push. Hundreds more signatures came in on the Change.org petition.
"Dolly's philanthropic efforts, her outstanding influence in the music industry, and the love she has instilled in our hearts through her actions and songs, truly make her a deserving candidate to have the Nashville International Airport named after her," the petition reads. "We request that the airport’s name be changed to Dolly Parton International Airport to honor an icon who has given so much to our state and to the world."
While some residents didn't take the renaming suggestions seriously in 2025, the officials at the Nashville airport did.
BNA's governing board, The Metro Nashville Airport Authority, created a report assessing exactly what would go into rebranding the airport and estimated a total cost of $10.34 million. The MNAA provided the assessment and details about the potential rebranding to the state.
The analysis found that costs would include new signage across the entire 4,500-acre property, a replacement for the 40-foot-tall BNA monument, updated BNA Shop merchandise, shuttle bus decals, uniforms, business cards and the initial price tag to amend hundreds of legal contracts, leases and other government documents.
Should the campaign reach state legislators again, it would be one more complication on top of an already hectic state of affairs at the Nashville airport. Metro and state officials remain at odds over who has the legal right to appoint commissioners to the airport's governing board.
The $10.34 million estimate also doesn't include the potential costs of legal obstacles from prior rights holders, objections from the United States Patent and Trademark Office or state and federal costs related to signage and markers.
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton International Airport campaign regains support after her death
