Which Airport Serves Nashville?

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Nashville is served by Nashville International Airport, airport code BNA, in the southeastern part of the city about 8.4 miles by road from Lower Broadway (a drive of roughly 16 minutes without traffic, by OSRM routing). For a Nashville trip, BNA is the airport to book. Two other airports with airline service, Huntsville and Chattanooga, are each more than two hours away by car.

Where BNA Is and How It Got Its Code

BNA sits near Murfreesboro Pike, the old Dixie Highway, in southern Davidson County. It opened in 1937 as Berry Field, named for Colonel Harry S. Berry, the Tennessee administrator of the Works Progress Administration that funded it, according to the Tennessee Encyclopedia’s history of the state’s airports. The airport took its current name in 1988, and the code BNA comes from the old Berry Field name (Wikipedia). The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, created in 1970, runs it.

How Busy It Is

As of August 2026, the airport authority reported:

Measure Figure
Passengers, fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 26.7 million, a record and up 7.7%
Busiest single day 116,047 passengers on October 5, 2025
Nonstop destinations 115 in June 2026, the most in the airport's history

Source: WSMV report on the airport authority’s figures.

What the Construction Means for You

BNA is in the middle of its $3 billion New Horizon program, with work continuing into 2028, so leave extra time for parking and walking and check the airport’s notices before you fly. What the program has built and what is still closed is covered in what BNA Vision changed at the airport. Which airlines and routes, domestic and international, use BNA is in which airlines fly into Nashville.

Other Airports Within Driving Distance

Airport Road distance from Lower Broadway Drive time without traffic
Nashville International (BNA) about 8.4 miles about 16 minutes
Huntsville International (HSV), Alabama about 121 miles about 2 hours 17 minutes
Chattanooga Metropolitan (CHA) about 139 miles about 2 hours 46 minutes

Distances and times are OSRM driving routes from Lower Broadway at Fifth Avenue, calculated October 24, 2026; traffic adds time. Both alternatives list airline service on their own sites (Huntsville International, Chattanooga Airport). A cheaper fare into either one has to cover the rental car, the drive, and the time, so compare the total cost before you choose it over BNA.

Getting Downtown From BNA

WeGo’s Route 18 bus runs between the airport’s Ground Transportation Center (Level 1 of the Terminal 2 Garage) and the WeGo Central transit center downtown for $2; express trips take about 20 minutes and local trips 35 to 45 minutes (WeGo airport service). Taxi, rideshare, and other options are compared in getting from the airport to downtown.

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