The state-appointed Metro Nashville Airport Authority initiated a $7.92 million land acquisition deal on Aug. 19 that brings Nashville International Airport one step closer to realizing its intricate and costly runway renovations plan.
MNAA has initiated the purchase of a seven-acre plot at 1715 Murfreesboro Pike for $2 million and a 25-acre plot at 0 Reynolds Road for $5.92 million. Both are undeveloped land, but the latter is adjacent to Town Park Estates, a small neighborhood of about 300 single family homes.
Over the last decade, MNAA has gradually expanded its property boundaries in the Donelson area in expectation of future growth. In fact, the airport's Assistant Vice President of Real Estate Roman Keselman said it already owns approximately
50% of the Town Park Estates neighborhood, which is where the airport hopes to ultimately add an entirely new runway once the crosswind runway 13/31 is decommissioned in 2033.
"Why this is critical to us is to make sure that nobody can block us from building that in the future," MNAA President and CEO Doug Kreulen said.
While numerous land purchases have been made throughout the airport authority's 56-year history, public interest in the expansion plans skyrocketed in 2023 when popular local restaurant Monell's confirmed that the airport would not be renewing its lease at 1400 Murfreesboro Pike.
The 1930s-era colonial mansion stands directly in the path of what would become the Nashville airport's longest runway at 11,500 feet, should the existing plans go through.
Kreulen and his team have been working to extend runway 2L/20R for the last six years, encouraged by state officials, but they have faced delays from Federal Aviation Administration regulators.
In 2023, the FAA said it did not see justification for the project, a statement Kreulen said has since been disproven. Since then, the airport has waited for FAA to approve the project's environmental review.
During the airport authority's most recent August meeting, Kreulen said he expects federal approval for the environmental assessment on Sept. 1. From there, it will likely take a total of eight years before the extended runway is actually up and running — two for the assessment and six for the construction.
But once 2L/20R is about 3,500 feet longer, Nashville International Airport will be equipped to recruit nonstop flights that are further away, like the highly anticipated nonstop to Asia. As Nashville and Tennessee continue to recruit more major businesses, state and local leaders said the nonstop is essential.
Companies based in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea accounted for over $26.9 billion of capital investments in Tennessee in October 2025, according to a report from Gov. Bill Lee's office. Since then, South Korea's Korea Zinc announced another $7.4 billion mining deal planned for Tennessee.
Beyond Asia, though, airlines like Southwest and Alaska have also signaled that they will be able to utilize the extended runway for long-distance flights. The reason why longer nonstop flights require longer runways is because the planes must carry more fuel, which results in them being heavier and needing more distance to accelerate at takeoff.
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: Nashville airport reveals runway expansion timeline, $7.9M in land
