The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s board of commissioners voted unanimously, 6–0, to rename the city’s airport after recently deceased country music icon Dolly Parton.
The renaming will make Parton the first woman to have her name bestowed upon one of the 50 busiest airports in the United States.
The Nashville Airport Authority said it had considered how best to honor Dolly Parton’s name and legacy, ultimately deciding that the most fitting tribute would be for Nashville International Airport to bear the name of “Tennessee’s most beloved daughter.”
In Tennessee, where the state government is controlled by Republicans while the metropolitan government is led by Democrats, both sides agreed to the airport’s renaming.
According to airport officials, the renaming process could take a year or longer. The final name will be decided jointly by airport officials and the Dollywood Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by the singer in 1988.
