Questions about Nashville's expanding airport answered: Budget, ride-share, construction
Nashville International Airport is pouring billions of dollars into its expansion with lofty projections for annual passenger growth and in-progress plans for a brand new twin terminal about a decade down the line.
For the average traveler, that means things look a little different during each trip to the airport. There are regular traffic shifts for construction, temporary gate closures in certain concourses and constant upgrades throughout the facilities.
You asked, we answered. Here are the explanations to pressing questions about the Nashville International Airport from Tennessean readers:
There is no plan to stop construction any time soon. Work on the existing terminal is slated to be complete by 2029. Construction on a second terminal, which is in discussion, could begin sometime after that.
Since 2017, BNA has had four major development programs in the works with staggered timelines:
BNA Vision I, budget of $1.3 billion, completed 2024
BNA Vision II, budget of $229.5 million, projected completion in 2025
New Horizon I, budget of $1.62 billion, projected completion in 2028
New Horizon II, budget of $1.34 billion, projected completion in 2029
Beyond 2029, BNA also has plans for a second terminal, but the exact project timeline is yet to be determined.
In spring 2023, BNA moved its cell-phone waiting lot off-site to 1415 Murfreesboro Pike. It's about three miles away from the airport terminal and can be anywhere from a five to 10 minute drive depending on traffic.
Alleviating traffic congestion and clearing up space was a key reason for the relocation.
"In order to begin our roadway enhancements, the cell waiting area needed to be relocated," the airport said in a 2023 statement. "Our goal is to provide more viable, larger parking options for passengers."
While the old lots at the entrance to BNA property offered a combined 93 spaces, the new lot has 240, first-come-first-serve parking spaces.
No, the Nashville International Airport does not have imminent plans to change its name.
Currently, a small group of Tennessee legislators are advocating for the airport to be renamed Trump International Airport. The bill would have to pass both the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate and get approval from Gov. Bill Lee before it would become a law.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority, BNA's governing board, estimate that renaming the airport would cost about $10.34 million.
International Air Transport Association codes are the three-letter names that airport's use globally. The Nashville airport's official IATA code is BNA.
This comes from the Nashville airport's original name: Berry Field Nashville. It opened in 1937 and didn't become Nashville International Airport until 1988.
The airport's new International Arrivals Facility, concessions area BNA Marketplace and satellite concourse all made their debut in 2023.
What's coming next is a five-gate Concourse D extension and a completely redone Concourse A. According to airport officials, recent progress at Concourse D includes roofing the 176-foot-diameter, 70-foot-tall rotunda at the center of the concourse, installing ceilings and putting in glass windows.
Gates D6 and D7 will open this spring, and D8 to D11 will open this summer.
From the main terminal, once travelers exit the secured area, the walk to ride-share pickup is about three to five minutes.
Ride-share pickup is located on the bottom level of Terminal Garage 1 in the Ground Transportation Center, but pick-up locations are slightly shifting over the next few months as the airport reconfigures the Ground Transportation Center. The construction there is expected to be completed by May 2025.
For fiscal year 2024, the airport had an operating revenue of $302.6 million, which is an increase from 2023 by $48.0 million. Meanwhile, operating expenses during that fiscal year totaled to $276.6 million, up $64.9 million from 2023.
While the Metro Nashville Airport Authority receives grant funds for some improvements, it is primarily self-funded and does not rely on taxpayer revenue. Aircraft landing fees, parking revenue, terminal rental fees, concessions make up the majority of the budget.
The new international flights launching out of Nashville International Airport this spring are non-stops to Dublin, Ireland, and Reykjavik, Iceland. The Ireland flight starts on April 12, and the Iceland flight starts on April 10, five weeks earlier than originally planned.
According to BNA officials, Nashville International Airport averages 660 daily airline arrivals and departures to 98 nonstop destinations.
In fiscal year 2024, that translated to 11.8 million enplanements, or individuals boarding aircrafts at BNA.
Cancellations and delays can vary depending on weather conditions, seasons and airlines, but Nashville International Airport ranked 7th on a 2024 list of airports with the fewest disruptions from AirHelp, a company that helps passengers with claims against airlines.
In the last week, the daily number of cancellations have ranged from 3 to 6, and daily delays have been between 44 and 85.
If you have any other burning questions about the Nashville International Airport, email them to Tennessean business reporter Hadley Hitson at hhitson@gannett.com.
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The answers to Nashville International Airport most-asked questions
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