Nashville International Airport (BNA) is the closest airport with scheduled airline service to central Nashville, using Broadway and Fifth Avenue as the downtown reference point. It is the airport to select for a straightforward airline arrival in the city.
John C. Tune Airport serves a different kind of aviation, while Huntsville and Chattanooga have passenger airports in other cities. The useful distinction is not simply which airfield appears near Nashville on a map, but where your flight lands and what onward journey you will need.
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
- Current name
- Nashville International Airport
- Airline booking code
- BNA
- Scheduled passenger flights
- Yes
- Location
- About 8 miles southeast of downtown Nashville
Choose this airport as your flight-search destination for an airline arrival in Nashville. Match the destination shown in the search results with the name and code above, rather than choosing an airport solely because a search labels it as nearby. That distinction matters when results include airports serving other cities.
The airport authority has begun a process to modify the name in honour of Dolly Parton, but no final name has been determined. The proposed naming process has not replaced the current passenger-facing name. A reference to the proposal is not a reason to choose a different airport in your flight search.
The international designation does not mean that every starting city has a nonstop flight to Nashville. Your departure airport determines whether you can fly directly or need a connection. When weighing flight results, distinguish a connection that still brings you into Nashville from a flight that ends in another city and leaves you with a separate journey on the ground.
John C. Tune, Huntsville and Chattanooga airports
John C. Tune Airport is a general-aviation airport. It serves regional, corporate and private aircraft and does not offer scheduled commercial passenger flights. Its Nashville location therefore does not make it interchangeable with BNA when you are buying an ordinary airline ticket.
Huntsville International Airport serves Huntsville, Alabama, and offers scheduled commercial passenger flights. It is a genuine airline destination, but landing there puts you in Alabama rather than Nashville. Consider it only if the flights from your starting airport make the added onward journey worthwhile, not merely because it appears in a list of airports near Nashville.
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport serves Chattanooga, Tennessee, and also offers scheduled commercial passenger flights. Although it is in the same state as Nashville, it serves a separate city. A flight into Chattanooga needs to be judged together with the journey from there to your Nashville accommodation, rather than as a substitute airport on the edge of downtown.
Airport-to-airport rankings answer a different question from proximity to central Nashville. A list organised around distance from an airport uses that airport as its starting point. It can also mix passenger airports with general-aviation airfields. For a visit centred on Broadway and Fifth Avenue, the relevant comparison is between airports that accept scheduled passenger arrivals and the onward journey to that downtown destination.
Your flight origin can still make an arrival in another city worth considering. Weigh any advantage in the flight against the transport you will need after landing, including whether you want to drive and how the arrival fits your first night. A cheaper ticket alone does not settle the choice if it adds a separate ground journey and transport costs.
From BNA to downtown
From BNA’s passenger terminal, the road journey to Broadway and Fifth Avenue is about 8.6 miles and about 15 minutes by car. Allow additional time for baggage collection and waiting for your vehicle. Traffic can lengthen the drive, and parking and reaching your final address add time after it. Treat the downtown intersection as a reference point, not necessarily the end of your arrival journey.
WeGo Route 18 Airport connects BNA with downtown seven days a week. Buses run every 30 minutes from 6am to 6pm and every 40 minutes in the evenings. Board at the Ground Transportation Center on the first level of the Terminal Garage. Follow the ground-transportation signs after leaving the arrivals area rather than looking for a bus at the terminal kerb.
The bus arrives at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central. You still need to continue from the transit centre to your accommodation. Decide how you will cover that final leg with your luggage, especially if your destination is outside downtown. The bus arrival point is not the Broadway and Fifth Avenue intersection used for the road journey above.
Licensed taxis are available at the Ground Transportation Center on Level 1 of Terminal Garage 2. Ride-app services also collect passengers at the Ground Transportation Center, adjacent to the ride-share drop-off area. Go to the pickup area for your chosen service, rather than assuming that every vehicle collects passengers outside the terminal doors.
A car transfer can take you to your actual address, while the bus leaves you with an onward leg from WeGo Central. Compare Nashville airport transfer options to weigh the bus and car choices together with how each gets you to your final destination.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services and key figures.
- John C. Tune Airport® (JWN®)
- Port of Huntsville — service
- Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority — service
- Flights | Nashville International Airport® (BNA®)
- Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority — key figures
- Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (WeGo Public Transit) — service
- Contact Us | Nashville International Airport® (BNA®)
- WeGo Public Transit — service
- Nashville Transportation Licensing Commission — service
- Nashville International Airport Reconfigures Ground Transportation Center
