Roberta Aguirre
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The airport, which was established in 1937, has four runways and covers 4,555 acres of land. It is the busiest airport in Tennessee and offers service to 99 destinations across the United States as well as a number of international destinations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Nashville International Airport |
| Airport Code | BNA |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Type | Public/military airport |
| Year Established | 1937 |
| Original Name | Berry Field |
| Terminal Area | 1,000,000 sq. ft. |
| Terminals | 1 |
| Concourses | 5 |
| Gates | 54 |
| Runways | 4 |
| Destinations | 99 across the US and several international destinations |
| Daily Aircraft Movements | 600 |
| Facilities | Business Service Center, Wright Business Travel Center, Massage Bar, Nashville Nails, food court, etc. |
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What You'll Learn
Nashville International Airport's history
Nashville International Airport, also known as Berry Field Nashville (IATA code: BNA), has a long history that dates back to the early days of aviation. Nashville's first airfield was a two-thousand-foot strip on the E.L. Hampton farm, located along what is now Hampton Avenue between Golf Club Lane and Woodmont Boulevard. This airfield, known as Hampton Field, was used by transients and locals from 1917 to 1921.
In 1921, Blackwood Field was opened to house the newly designated 105th Observation Squadron Air Guard unit. It was located in the Hermitage community and operated until 1928. As air mail became more important, the city needed an airport closer to the town centre, so land was purchased in West Nashville. A field at the current location of McCabe Golf Course began operating in 1927 as Nashville's first municipal airport, named McConnell Field in honour of Brower McConnell, who had been killed in Air Guard training that year.
In the mid-1930s, it became clear that McConnell Field was too small to accommodate the growing aviation industry, and a larger airport was needed. A citizens' committee was formed by Mayor Hilary Ewing Howse to select a location for a new airport. Construction began in 1936 on a 340-acre plot along Dixie Parkway (now Murfreesboro Pike), and the new airport, known as Berry Field Nashville, opened in the summer of 1937. The airport was used as a military base until 1946 and soon needed revamping as passenger numbers climbed. The airport was expanded in the early 1960s, and a new passenger terminal was completed in 1961. During that year, the airport served more than 500,000 passengers for the first time.
In 1985, American Airlines announced it would establish a hub at Nashville International Airport, which officially opened in 1986. The hub offered nonstop flights to many cities in the US and Canada and even operated a transatlantic flight to London. In 1988, an international wing was added to Concourse A, and the airport was officially renamed Nashville International Airport/Berry Field. The airport has continued to grow and expand in recent years, with various renovation and expansion projects, such as the BNA Vision and New Horizons programmes, to accommodate the increasing volume of passengers and flights.
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The airport's runways and taxiways
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The airport serves air carriers, general aviation, cargo operations, and the military. Nashville International Airport has four runways and covers 4,555 acres (1,843 ha) of land.
The airport's runways are configured as follows:
- Three parallel runways (2L/20R, 2C/20C, and 2R/20L)
- One intersecting runway (13/31)
The airport also has a complex series of taxiways that provide access to terminals, FBOs, and cargo ramps located on all sides of the airport. The taxiways are closely spaced, and the threshold for RWY 20C is further south than the threshold for RWY 20R. This spacing can increase the risk of aircraft landing on a taxiway instead of a runway.
To accommodate the airport's growth, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority has implemented expansion programs called BNA Vision and New Horizons. BNA Vision includes expanding concourses, constructing a new international arrivals facility, building new parking garages, and erecting a hotel. The hotel was completed in March 2024. New Horizons will involve additional concourse expansions, upgrading the baggage handling system, and expanding the terminal roadway. The New Horizons upgrades are scheduled to be completed by 2028.
Nashville International Airport is one of the fastest-growing airports in North America, serving nearly 18.3 million passengers in 2019. The airport has seen rapid growth in passenger volume and flight numbers in recent years.
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Passenger facilities
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the busiest airport in Tennessee, with a high volume of passengers and flights. The airport has undergone and is currently undergoing several expansion and renovation projects to accommodate this growth.
Nashville International Airport has one central terminal with five departure concourses (A, B, C, D, and T gates). There are two concourses at the south end of the terminal and two at the north end. The T gates are straight after the security checkpoint. The airport has four runways and covers 4,555 acres of land.
The airport has a children's play area at the end of Concourse B, with wall games and floor activities. A Mamava pod is located near the first restrooms of Concourse A, and a lactation room is in Concourse D near gate D4. There are designated smoking areas outside the terminal on all three levels, and a smoking room in the Graycliff Divans Lounge near gate B10. ATMs are available on the departures and arrivals levels.
The cheapest daily parking at BNA is $20, with more cost-effective options available at external lots. Daily parking starts from around $9 when booked through airportparkingreservations.com, and many of these lots operate shuttle buses to and from the airport. Parking for passengers with disabilities is available at all official airport parking lots through the Accessible Parking Program, which offers free parking.
The airport can be reached via I-40, which has an eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramp to the terminal road, or via the Donelson Pike exit. Taxis and rideshares can be found on Level 1 of Terminal Garage 2, and the WeGo Route 18 bus connects the airport to downtown Nashville.
To report a lost item, passengers need to submit an online ticket. If the item was lost on an aircraft, the relevant airline must be contacted. An information office is located on Level 1 near the rental car counters, and further information areas can be found throughout the arrivals area.
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Expansion plans
Nashville International Airport (IATA: BNA) is a public/military airport in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The airport first opened in 1937 and was originally named Berry Field, from which its ICAO and IATA identifiers are derived.
In recent years, Nashville International Airport has experienced rapid growth in passenger and flight volume. To accommodate this growth, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority has embarked on two expansion programs: BNA Vision and New Horizons.
BNA Vision
BNA Vision was a comprehensive growth and expansion plan with a total investment of $4.5 billion. The goal of BNA Vision was to expand the airport's infrastructure to support Nashville's growth over the next 20 years. The plan included:
- Expanding concourses
- Constructing a new international arrivals facility
- Building new parking garages
- Erecting a hotel
- Creating thousands of local jobs and boosting the local economy
New Horizons
New Horizons is the next phase of expansion at Nashville International Airport, building on the success of BNA Vision. The plan will cover:
- Additional concourse expansions, including extending concourses A and D with new gates, concessions, and moving walkways
- Upgrading the baggage handling system
- Expanding and enhancing the terminal roadway to increase capacity and ease traffic flow in and out of the terminal and parking garages
- Constructing a new air freight building
The design phase of New Horizons is expected to start in August, with construction works anticipated to begin in late 2023. The overall project is scheduled for completion in 2028.
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Military presence
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The airport's IATA code of BNA is derived from its original name, Berry Field, and the military facilities at the airport are still commonly referred to as Berry Field.
The airport was established in 1937 as Berry Field, and its current terminal was built in 1987. Nashville International Airport has four runways and covers 4,555 acres (1,843 ha) of land. It is the busiest airport in Tennessee, serving 600 daily flights to 99 destinations across the United States and several international locations.
The airport has a significant military presence, with Joint Base Berry Field, formerly known as Berry Field Air National Guard Base, located on-site. The base is home to the 118th Wing and the 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron Tennessee Army National Guard. The airport was enlarged by the military during World War II, and it continues to serve military operations today.
The airport's four runways include three parallel runways (2L/20R, 2C/20C, and 2R/20L) and an intersecting runway (13/31). The airspace at BNA is Class C and has been recently expanded to surface to 6,000' within 7 miles of the airport. The close spacing of the runways and the presence of intersecting taxiways can create challenges for pilots, and specific procedures are in place to ensure safe operations.
Nashville International Airport has seen rapid growth in recent years, leading to the development of expansion programs such as BNA Vision and New Horizons. These programs include projects such as concourse expansions, a new international arrivals facility, additional parking garages, and a hotel. The growth in passenger volume and flight traffic has made Nashville a top destination for airlines such as Southwest Airlines, which has established a crew base at the airport.
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Frequently asked questions
Nashville International Airport.
In the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
Nashville's first airport was Hampton Field, which operated until 1921. It was replaced by Blackwood Field, which operated between 1921 and 1928. Nashville International Airport (BNA) was first established in 1937 under the name of Berry Field.
Nashville International Airport has reasonable facilities including a Business Service Center, WiFi, the Wright Business Travel Center, and a Massage Bar offering seated-chair massages. Nashville Nails and a food court area are located on Concourse C.
BNA Vision and New Horizons are two expansion programs designed to overhaul and expand Nashville International Airport's facilities. BNA Vision includes expanding concourses, constructing a new international arrivals facility, building new parking garages, and erecting a hotel.
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