The board of Nashville Airport is set to vote on whether or not to approve a change of name.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has backed an idea to rename the airport after legendary local Dolly Parton, who died last month aged 80.
Officials at the Metro Nashville Airport Authority are now poised to formally support the change at their 11 September board meeting, the Nashville Business Journal reports.
The vote will kickstart a complex process that will require a significant overhaul and cost millions of dollars.
There is widespread ground support to rename the airport Dolly Parton International. A Change.org petition to rename the airport, which launched back in January 2025, has gathered more than 175,000 signatures.
Governor Lee, on announcing his support, issued a release claiming that the rebrand would create “a lasting tribute to her indelible legacy and the generations of people she inspired across Tennessee and around the world”.
He also shared that the Parton family is in favour of the plan, noting that her team had expressed their appreciation.
“They are touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation. In keeping with the way Dolly lived her life, her team believes she still has a special way of bringing people together for good, and they hope this tribute can be another example of that enduring legacy,” the release stated.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority must also vote to circumvent its own policy of disallowing facilities to be named for people who died until two years after their death.
