Dolly Parton Airport? Nashville Board Clears 1st Hurdle with Unanimous Rule Change Vote [WATCH]

Nashville International Airport is moving toward a new name honoring Dolly Parton after a unanimous vote.

The rare show of agreement comes as Tennessee’s Republican dominated state government and Nashville’s Democrat controlled city government remain locked in an ugly fight over control of the airport.

Despite that bitter dispute, both sides support placing Parton’s name on the airport. The change would make her the first woman whose name adorns one of America’s 50 busiest airports.

The push was championed by Lydia Popovich, a Parton superfan who launched a petition in 2025.

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Popovich said Friday that Parton had gracefully rejected the airport idea during her lifetime, just as she did with several other proposed honors.

One of those proposals came from Tennessee lawmakers in 2021, when they introduced a bill seeking to place a statue of Parton on the Capitol grounds.

Parton asked them to withdraw it while leaving open the possibility of accepting the honor later.

She said it might happen “somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it.”

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After Parton’s death two weeks ago, support for renaming the airport appeared to surge.

Popovich’s petition collected more than 175,000 signatures.

However, the officials competing for authority over the airport did not need additional persuasion before supporting the proposal.

At a Friday meeting of the state controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, board members unanimously approved a motion directing the airport CEO to begin the renaming process.

During the meeting, members lavished praise on Parton.

Airport officials said completing the change could take a year or more.

The process will include working with Parton’s estate to decide how profits from merchandise sales might be divided, along with addressing other details.

The fight surrounding the airport remains complicated because there are two Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authorities.

One is operated by the state, while the other is controlled by the city.

That divided regulatory structure was created in 2023 during a partisan clash between the GOP-run state and the Democratic run city.

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Control of the airport has remained in dispute, with competing boards taking charge before being removed as court decisions are issued and overturned.

Even amid the acrimony, Nashville’s Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell and the city-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority support the name change.

O’Connell spokesman Alex Apple said both boards are prepared to deliver the same message.

“The FAA’s going to get two votes from two boards, both in favor,” Apple said.

The unity over Parton stands in sharp contrast to the continuing legal and political struggle surrounding airport control.

Stuart McWhorter, a member of the state-controlled board and deputy to Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee, briefly addressed the dispute during Friday’s meeting.

Invoking Parton’s spirit, he suggested that “we can get beyond the litigation and get back to working together.”

Parton was born in poverty in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains before becoming an icon with popularity spanning generations, geography, and politics.

She wrote and recorded hits including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” while also starring in Hollywood films such as “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias.”

Popovich attended the meeting, spoke in support of the proposal and cried after the unanimous vote.

“It’s been a really beautiful experience, especially as you’re grieving someone that was such a great loss,” she told The Associated Press.

“She’s the best of Tennessee. She’s the best of the humans on the planet. She was this magical person that provided light and guidance to all of us. Unfortunately, she’s left us, but now we get to celebrate her and get to tell the world how much Tennessee loved her.”

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