Nashville, Tennessee — Nashville International Airport is moving closer to becoming Dolly Parton International Airport after the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority unanimously approved the name change Friday.
The vote marks a major step in a proposal announced after Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and airport officials had already endorsed naming the airport for the country music icon, describing her as one of the state’s most recognizable ambassadors.
Nashville’s Metro Council also unanimously adopted a resolution Sept. 1 supporting the change and asking the airport authority to waive its existing policy requiring honorees to have been deceased for at least two years.
The airport’s BNA code is expected to remain unchanged. Officials have said the renaming process could take six months to a year and require changes to signage, administrative records and Federal Aviation Administration documentation. Earlier estimates placed the cost between $8 million and $10 million.
Parton was born in Sevier County and moved to Nashville shortly after graduating high school, eventually becoming one of the most successful songwriters and performers in country music. Her philanthropic work included the Imagination Library, which has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children worldwide.
The final airport name will be developed with input from Parton’s foundation and representatives, according to state and airport officials.
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