Roberta Aguirre
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is located in Nashville, Tennessee. The airport's IATA code, BNA, stands for Berry Field Nashville, named after Joint Base Berry Field, formerly Berry Field Air National Guard Base, which is located at the airport. Nashville International Airport serves air carriers, general aviation, cargo operations, and the military. The airport has one terminal with five concourses and a total of 55 gates. Southwest Airlines carries over 55% of traffic at BNA, followed by American Airlines, which established a hub at Nashville in 1986.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Nashville International Airport |
| IATA Code | BNA |
| Military Name | Berry Field |
| Airlines | American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines |
| Number of Runways | 4 |
| Number of Concourses | 5 |
| Number of Gates | 55 |
| International Arrivals Facility | Concourse T |
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What You'll Learn
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Nashville International Airport, also known by its IATA code BNA or, more rarely, Berry Field Nashville, is located in Nashville, Tennessee. The airport has one terminal with five concourses and a total of 55 gates. All uncleared international flights are processed in Concourse T. Concourse A contains 6 gates, while Concourse B has 10. The airport also has a commuter concourse in addition to its three main concourses. Nashville International Airport serves air carriers, general aviation, cargo operations, and the military. It has three parallel runways, as well as an intersecting runway, and a complex series of taxiways that provide access to terminals, FBOs, and cargo ramps.
The airport's history dates back to the early 1980s when the MNAA commissioned Robert Lamb Hart and the firm Gresham, Smith and Partners to design a modern terminal. Construction began in 1984 and was completed in 1987. An international wing was added to Concourse A, and the airport was renamed Nashville International Airport/Berry Field. American Airlines established a hub at the airport, which officially opened in 1986 and peaked in 1993 with 265 daily departures to 79 cities. However, flights were gradually scaled back, and the hub closed in 1995 due to the recession and a lack of local passengers.
To accommodate the airport's growth, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority has initiated two expansion programs: BNA Vision and New Horizons. BNA Vision involves expanding concourses, constructing a new international arrivals facility, building new parking garages, and erecting a hotel, which opened in March 2024. New Horizons will include additional concourse expansions, an upgraded baggage handling system, and an expanded terminal roadway. This project is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Nashville's first airport was Hampton Field, which operated until 1921. It was replaced by Blackwood Field in the Hermitage community, which served the city from 1921 to 1928. American Airlines and Eastern Air Lines were the first airlines to serve Nashville, operating out of Sky Harbor Airport in nearby Rutherford County. However, by 1935, the city needed a larger and more conveniently located airport, so construction began on the site of four farms along Dixie Parkway (now Murfreesboro Pike).
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Southwest Airlines hub
Nashville International Airport (IATA: BNA), formerly known as Berry Field Nashville, is served by several airlines, including Southwest. While Southwest Airlines does not have an official hub in Nashville, it carries over 55% of the airport's traffic, offering many non-stop flights. The airline gradually expanded its presence at Nashville International Airport after American Airlines closed its hub in 1995. Nashville International Airport has one terminal with five concourses and a total of 55 gates. The airport serves air carriers, general aviation, cargo operations, and the military. It features three parallel runways and an intersecting runway, with a complex series of taxiways providing access to terminals, FBOs, and cargo ramps.
Nashville's first airport was Hampton Field, which operated until 1921. It was replaced by Blackwood Field in the Hermitage community, which served the city from 1921 to 1928. The city then constructed a larger airport along Dixie Parkway (now Murfreesboro Pike), which became Nashville International Airport. American Airlines established a hub at the airport in 1986, but it closed in 1995 due to the recession and a lack of local passengers.
Following American Airlines' departure, Southwest Airlines moved in and seized a majority of the Nashville market. Nashville International Airport has undergone various renovations and expansions to accommodate growing demand. The BNA Vision project, completed in 2023, included expanding concourses, constructing a new international arrivals facility, building new parking garages, and erecting a hotel. The ongoing New Horizons project, scheduled for completion in 2028, will involve additional concourse expansions, an upgraded baggage handling system, and an expanded terminal roadway.
Nashville International Airport is home to the Joint Base Berry Field, which houses the 118th Wing and the 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron Tennessee Army National Guard. The airport's location in the downtown Nashville area, with several hospitals nearby, results in a significant number of medevac helicopters transiting through its airspace.
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American Airlines hub
Nashville International Airport, also known as Berry Field, is located in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's first airport was Hampton Field, which operated until 1921 and was replaced by Blackwood Field in the Hermitage community, which operated between 1921 and 1928. The first airlines to serve Nashville, American Airlines and Eastern Air Lines, flew out of Sky Harbor Airport in nearby Rutherford County.
In the early 1980s, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) commissioned Robert Lamb Hart, in association with the firm of Gresham, Smith and Partners, to design a modern terminal. Construction began on the opposite side of the existing two crossing runways in 1984 and was completed in 1987. The new terminal had three main concourses and a smaller commuter concourse radiating from a distinctive three-story atrium. An international wing was built in Concourse A, and the airport was renamed Nashville International Airport/Berry Field.
In 1985, American Airlines announced that it would establish a hub at Nashville, which officially opened in 1986. The hub was intended to compete with Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, and Piedmont Airlines for north-south traffic in the eastern United States. American Airlines provided nonstop flights to many cities in the U.S. and Canada and even operated a transatlantic flight from Nashville to London.
American's service peaked in 1993 with 265 daily departures to 79 cities, after which flights were gradually scaled back until the hub closed in 1995. American cited the aftermath of the early 1990s recession and the lack of local passengers as reasons for the closure. The closure of the hub in Nashville was a blow to the city's ego and business prospects, and it took several years for the airport to recover.
Today, Nashville International Airport has one terminal with five concourses and a total of 55 gates. The airport has undergone recent renovations and expansions to accommodate growth, with projects such as BNA Vision and New Horizons, which include expanding concourses, constructing new facilities, and upgrading the baggage handling system.
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Military access
Nashville International Airport, also known as Berry Field Nashville, is home to Joint Base Berry Field, formerly known as the Berry Field Air National Guard Base. The base hosts the 118th Wing and the 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron Tennessee Army National Guard.
The airport's military facilities are still commonly referred to as Berry Field, despite the airport's official name change to Nashville International Airport/Berry Field in the late 1980s. An international wing was added to Concourse A during this period of expansion, which included the construction of a new terminal with three main concourses and a smaller commuter concourse.
Nashville's airport has a strong historical connection to the military, with the airport code BNA being an abbreviation for Berry Field Nashville. The airport police maintain the safety and security of the airport, patrolling its interior and exterior areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The airport has undergone significant expansion and upgrades in recent years, including the BNA Vision and New Horizons programs, which involve expanding concourses, constructing new facilities, and improving existing infrastructure. These upgrades are aimed at accommodating the airport's growing number of passengers and visitors, ensuring efficient and comfortable travel experiences.
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BNA Vision and New Horizons upgrades
Nashville International Airport (BNA) has recently completed the BNA Vision project and is now embarking on the New Horizon project. BNA Vision was a project to create more space to keep up with growing traffic rates. The project included several key features over multiple phases, including the Terminal Lobby Renovation and International Arrivals Facility (IAF), which opened in September 2023. The completed project provides an expanded central terminal and a state-of-the-art International Arrivals Facility, with key features such as an expanded security checkpoint, a central marketplace, an upgraded IAF with six international gates, and a new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) area that can accommodate 800 passengers per hour using biometric technology. The BNA Vision project also included the construction of an on-site, Hilton-branded hotel with 298 rooms and a rooftop pool, which opened in February 2024.
The New Horizon project promises further expansion, with a budget of over $2.1 billion. The project includes plans to extend the airport to seventy gates by 2028, with major upgrades to Concourse A and an extension of Concourse D. The New Horizon initiative aims to enhance the airport's infrastructure to accommodate Nashville's rapid growth and meet the growing needs of passengers. The plan will cover two concourses, with new gates, concessions, and moving walkways, a new air freight building, terminal roadway overhauls, and upgraded baggage handling systems. The baggage handling system improvements will organise bags by flight and deliver luggage to and from the aircraft more quickly. The terminal roadway enhancements will increase capacity while easing traffic flow in and out of the terminal and parking garages. In addition to these upgrades, a new parking garage, a multipurpose de-icing ramp, and an $80 million contingency fund for unexpected costs have been introduced. The design phase of the New Horizons project is expected to begin in August 2022, with construction on the extension of Concourse D scheduled to start in late 2023 and a completion date set for late 2028.
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Frequently asked questions
Nashville International Airport, also known as BNA.
Airlines that operate from Nashville International Airport include Southwest, American, and Delta.
Nashville International Airport is quite busy, with Southwest carrying over 55% of traffic. However, the airport doesn't usually have super long lines, so you can show up about an hour before your flight and still make it.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority has commenced two expansion programs: BNA Vision and New Horizons. BNA Vision involves expanding concourses, constructing a new international arrivals facility, building new parking garages, and erecting a hotel. The hotel opened in March 2024, and most of the BNA Vision upgrades were completed in 2023. New Horizons will include additional concourse expansions, an upgraded baggage handling system, and an expanded terminal roadway. It is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
