Nashville Airport To Be Renamed After Dolly Parton Following Unanimous Vote

Dolly Parton is getting one of the biggest honors possible in her home state ... Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed after the late music legend.

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority voted Friday unanimously to begin the renaming process. Officials say the change could take at least a year to complete. Once finalized, Dolly would become the first woman to have her name on one of the 50 busiest airports in the United States.

The vote follows a petition started by Dolly fan Lydia Popovich, which collected more than 175K signatures after the singer’s death.

Dolly had previously resisted efforts to honor her with her name. In 2021, she asked Tennessee lawmakers to drop a proposal for a statue of her at the state Capitol, saying she hoped something like that could happen "several years from now or perhaps after I'm gone."

This time, the airport effort has support from both sides of Nashville's ongoing airport control battle. The state-controlled authority and the city-backed authority are both expected to support the proposal before it goes to the FAA.

Airport officials also plan to work with Dolly's estate on potential merchandise and licensing revenue tied to the new name.

As we reported ... Dolly died after a brief battle with cancer. She passed away surrounded by loved ones at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on August 25.