Nashville International Airport
Nashville International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner/Operator | Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Serves | Nashville metropolitan area | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Focus city for | Allegiant Air | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 599 ft / 183 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 36°07′36″N 086°40′55″W / 36.12667°N 86.68194°WCoordinates: 36°07′36″N 086°40′55″W / 36.12667°N 86.68194°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www.flynashville.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2021) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Nashville International Airport[1] |
Nashville International Airport (IATA: BNA, ICAO: KBNA, FAA LID: BNA) is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1937, its original name was Berry Field, from which its ICAO and IATA identifiers are derived. The current terminal was built in 1987, and the airport took its current name in 1988. Nashville International Airport has four runways and covers 4,555 acres (1,843 ha) of land.[2][3]
The airport is served by 30 airlines, 26 passenger and 4 cargo-only ones (and of which 7 are foreign airlines) and has 585 daily arriving and departing flights with nonstop flights to 101 airports in North America and Europe. Joint Base Berry Field, formerly Berry Field Air National Guard Base is located at Nashville International Airport. The base is home to the 118th Wing and the 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron Tennessee Army National Guard.[4]
History
Origins
Nashville's first airport was Hampton Field, which operated until 1921. It 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.[5]
By 1935 the need for an airport larger and closer to the city than Sky Harbor Airport was realized and a citizens' committee was organized by Mayor Hilary Ewing Howse to choose a location. A 340-acre (1.4 km2) plot along Dixie Parkway (now Murfreesboro Road) composed of four farms was selected, and construction began in 1936 as one of the first major Works Progress Administration projects in the area. The airport was dedicated on November 1, 1936, as Berry Field, named after Col. Harry S. Berry, the Tennessee administrator for the Works Progress Administration. It opened in June 1937 with much fanfare, including parades, an air show, and an aerial bombardment display by the 105th Aero Squadron, which was based at the field.[6] Passenger service began in mid-July through American Airlines and Eastern Airlines, both of which operated Douglas DC-3s. The new airport had three asphalt runways, a three-story passenger terminal, a control tower, two hangars and a beacon, and was built at a cost of $1.2 million. In its first year Berry Field served 189,000 passengers.[5][7][8]
During World War II, the airfield was requisitioned by the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command as the headquarters for the 4th Ferrying Command for movement of new aircraft overseas. During this time, the Federal government expanded the airport to 1,500 acres (6.1 km2). At the end of the war, the airport was returned to the control of the city, with a number of facilities remaining for support of the tenant unit of the Tennessee National Guard.[7]
The airport had been enlarged by the military during World War II, but in 1958 the City Aviation Department started planning to expand and modernize the airport.[7] In 1961, a new 145,000 square feet (13,500 m2) terminal opened off of Briley Parkway, west of runway 2L. 1961 also saw the first scheduled jets at Berry Field, American Airlines 720/720Bs. For the first time more than half a million people passed through the airport when the six airlines that served Nashville carried 532,790 passengers. These renovations also included expansion of an existing runway, with 2L/20R being extended by 600 feet (180 m), and the construction of a new crosswind runway, 13/31.[7] In 1962 Nashville became the first municipal airport in the United States with a public reading room when the Nashville Public Library opened a branch inside the terminal.[9]
Hub years
By the 1970s the airport was again in need of expansion and modernization. In 1973 the newly created Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) finalized a plan for the long-term growth of the airport; the plan included a new terminal and a new parallel runway across Donelson Pike to increase capacity by reducing time between takeoffs and landings.[7]
In the early 1980s the MNAA commissioned Robert Lamb Hart, in association with the firm of Gresham, Smith and Partners, to design a modern terminal; construction began in 1984 and was completed in 1987. It had three main concourses and a smaller commuter concourse radiating from a distinctive three-story atrium.[5] An international wing was built in Concourse A; the airport was renamed Nashville International Airport/Berry Field. It is now rare to see the "Berry Field" portion used, but the airport's IATA code (BNA) is short for Berry Field Nashville, and the military facilities at the airport are still commonly known by this name. In 1989 a new parallel runway (2R/20L) was opened for use.[7]
American Airlines announced in 1985 that it would establish a hub at Nashville, and it 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.[10] Besides providing nonstop flights to many cities in the U.S. and Canada, American also operated a transatlantic flight from Nashville to London. The American hub was touted as a selling point in bringing companies such as Nissan and Saturn Corporation to the Nashville area. Nonetheless, the hub operated at a loss even during its heyday in the early 1990s, like the similarly sized hub American had at Raleigh/Durham.[11]
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 December 1995.[12] American cited the aftermath of the early 1990s recession and the lack of local passengers as reasons for the closure.
Recent history
In the aftermath of the hub closure, Southwest Airlines gradually filled the void by subleasing American's gates and seizing a majority of the Nashville market. Southwest continues to dominate the airport to this day.[13]
In 2002 Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services (EAMS) selected Nashville as the location for its Regional Airline Support Facility, which was built on the site of the demolished 1961 terminal building.[14]
In October 2006 the Nashville Metropolitan Airport Authority started an extensive renovation of the terminal building, designed by Architectural Alliance of Minneapolis and Thomas, Miller & Partners, PLLC of Nashville,[15] the first since the terminal opened 19 years prior. Phase one of the project involved updating and expanding food and vending services, improving flight information systems, and construction of a new consolidated security checkpoint for all terminals. Phase one was completed in 2009. Phase two of the project involved the expansion of the ticketing and check-in areas, the construction and renovation of bathrooms, and the renovation of the baggage claim areas. Completion of the second phase of the renovation project was completed in 2011.[16] These renovations brought the total size of the terminal building to over 1 million square feet (93,000 m2).[17] In addition to the terminal renovation and expansion, the renovations included expanding parking and a new rental car facility.[18] The renovated terminal was named the Robert C. H. Mathews Jr. Terminal in honor of a MNAA board chair in 2011.[7]
In addition to passenger amenities in the terminal and parking areas, the renovations included improvements to the airport's infrastructure. The largest project was the complete demolition and rebuilding of Runway 2L/20R, which was completed in August 2010. In addition to the rebuilding of Runway 2L/20R, Runway 2C/20C was closed from September through December 2010 for pavement and concrete rehabilitation. BNA's 91 acres (0.37 km2) of tarmac were also rehabilitated during this project after being funded entirely by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allotments.[19]
In August 2017, British Airways announced nonstop service between Nashville and London, which began on May 4, 2018. This marked the return of transatlantic service at BNA for the first time since 1995, when American ended their London flight.[20]
Future
To accommodate growth at BNA, the Metro Nashville Airport Authority has commenced a renovation of the airport dubbed as BNA Vision.[21] Projects include expanding and reopening Concourse D, renovating/expanding the central terminal area and constructing a new international arrivals facility, constructing a satellite concourse and constructing new parking garages, access roads and a hotel. The majority of the project will be completed in late 2023, with roadway constructing wrapping up in 2026.[22] A second round will expand Concourses A and D with additional gates, leaving the airport with 69 gates when the entire Vision is completed.[23]
Facilities
Terminal
The airport has one terminal with four concourses and a total of 40 gates.[24] All non pre–cleared international flights are currently processed in Concourse A.
- Concourse A contains 6 gates.[24]
- Concourse B contains 10 gates.[24]
- Concourse C contains 18 gates.[24]
- Concourse D contains 6 gates.[24]
Ground transportation
The airport is served by I-40, which has an eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramp to the terminal road. The airport can also be accessed via the Donelson Pike exit. Taxi's and ride share pick up in the Ground Transportation Center on Level 1 of Terminal Garage 2.[25]
Nashville International Airport could eventually be connected to downtown Nashville via a light rail line, and the ongoing expansion allows for a connection to be made in the plaza on top of the parking garages.[26]
Military facilities
Berry Field Air National Guard Base (ANGB) was located on the premises of Nashville International Airport. Since 1937 it hosted the 118th Airlift Wing (AW). Berry Field faced the removal of its flying mission with the BRAC 2005 recommendation to realign its assets to other units. It initially averted this fate by taking on a new role as the C-130 International Training Center. The C-130s assigned to the unit were eventually transferred and the 118th AW became the 118th Wing, supporting unmanned aircraft operations.[27]
Approximately 1,500 personnel are assigned to both HQ, Tennessee Air National Guard and to the 118 AW at Berry ANGB. Approximately 400 are full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technician (ART) personnel, augmented by approximately 1100 traditional part-time air guardsmen.[27]
The last C-130 left Nashville in December 2012[28] and on April 17, 2015, the first UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters belonging to the Tennessee Army National Guard's 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron relocated to what is now known as Joint Base Berry Field from Army Aviation Support Facility #1 in Smyrna, Tennessee.[29]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Airlines | Destinations | Refs |
---|---|---|
Amazon Air | Riverside, Fort Worth, Wilmington | [55] |
Atlas Air | Anchorage | |
DHL Aviation | Cincinnati, Memphis, Miami | |
FedEx Express | Columbus–Rickenbacker, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Memphis, Newark, Richmond |
Statistics
Top destinations
Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Atlanta, Georgia | 502,000 | Delta, Southwest |
2 | Denver, Colorado | 377,000 | Frontier, Southwest, United |
3 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 363,000 | American, Southwest, United |
4 | Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 362,000 | American |
5 | New York–LaGuardia, New York | 340,000 | American, Delta, Southwest, Spirit |
6 | Orlando, Florida | 318,000 | Frontier, Southwest, Spirit |
7 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 317,000 | American, Southwest |
8 | Los Angeles, California | 287,000 | American, Delta, Southwest, Spirit |
9 | Miami, Florida | 235,000 | American, Southwest |
10 | Houston–Intercontinental, Texas | 230,000 | Southwest, United |
Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Southwest Airlines | 9,281,000 | 55.28% |
2 | American Airlines | 1,847,000 | 11.0% |
3 | Delta Air Lines | 1,509,000 | 8.99% |
4 | SkyWest Airlines | 621,000 | 3.7% |
5 | Republic Airways | 839,000 | 5.0% |
6 | Other | 2,691,000 | 16.03% |
Airport traffic
Accidents and incidents
- On September 28, 1963, an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7 crashed on landing after the aircraft's nose gear collapsed. All 45 passengers and crew survived.[57]
- On May 31, 1985, a Gulfstream I crashed immediately after takeoff due to failure of the left engine. Both people on board were killed.[58]
- On January 29, 1996, a United States Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter crashed shortly after takeoff. The jet struck a housing development and erupted into a fireball, killing the pilot and four individuals on the ground.[59]
- On September 9, 1999, a TWA McDonnell Douglas DC-9 suffered a landing gear collapse after a hard touchdown. All 46 passengers and crew survived.[60]
- On October 29, 2013, a Cessna 172R departing from Windsor International Airport in Windsor, Ontario, Canada deviated from its declared destination of Pelee Island Airport, flew south to Nashville, and circled the airport for two hours before crashing on Runway 2C and bursting into flames, killing the sole occupant. The burned wreckage went unnoticed for nearly six hours, as it had been obscured by dense fog, before being spotted by another general aviation aircraft. The NTSB investigation of the crash determined that the pilot, Michael Callan, was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Additionally, he falsely listed singer Taylor Swift as his next of kin, and had written letters with signs of stalking to her, leading investigators to believe that he flew to Nashville to stalk her.[61][62]
- On December 15, 2015, Southwest Airlines Flight 31, a Boeing 737-300, from Houston, Texas, exited the taxiway and rolled into a ditch shortly after arriving into Nashville as the airplane was entering the terminal ramp. All 138 passengers and crew were safely evacuated from the plane and bussed into the airport.[63]
See also
References
- ^ "Airport Data - Nashville International Airport". Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for BNA PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective August 11, 2022.
- ^ "BNA airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Tennessee Army National Guard Aircraft Arrive at Joint Base Berry Field". dvidshub.net. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c Airports. "Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture". Tennessee Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ "Nashville International Airport's 75th Anniversary". Nashville International Airport. Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "History of Nashville International Airport". [Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA)]. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ "Nashville International Airport turns 75". Nashville Tennessean. June 13, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Library History". Nashville Public Library. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ Washburn, Gary (June 6, 1985). "American Airlines Plans Nashville Hub". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ Fins, Antonio (March 16, 1997). "A Tale of 2 Cities ... And The Loss of an Airline Hub". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ "Daily Departures from the Nashville Hub 1986-1996". Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ "Southwest Airlines' Nashville traffic up 54% in 10 years; January to September traffic climbs 11%; five new routes in 2019". January 2, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ "Global Presence". Embraer. 2010. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ "Nashville International Airport, Terminal and Concourse Renovation, Nashville, TN". Architecture Alliance. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ "Nashville International Airport – Positively Transformed". MNAA. 2011. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ "75h Anniversary". Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Consolidated Rental Car Facility". Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. November 2011. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ "MNAA Strategic Business Plan" (PDF). Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. February 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ "British Airways' Nashville-London flight shows Music City stepping onto global stage". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ^ "BNA Vision". Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Plans - BNA Vision". Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Nashville airport leaders eye next phase in BNA expansion". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Nashville International Airport Interactive Map". Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ground Transportation - Nashville International Airport". Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "Light rail at Nashville International Airport could still happen". March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "118th Airlift Wing". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ "Army Guard Aviation Moves to Nashville's Berry Field". tn.gov/military. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "Tennessee Army National Guard Aircraft Arrive at Joint Base Berry Field". dvidshub.net. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "Air Canada Flight Schedules". Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Flight Timetable". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Allegiant Interactive Route Map". Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "Flight schedules and notifications". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ "Destinations". Avelo Airlines. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Breeze Airways adding non-stop flights from Nashville to New York, Norfolk". August 10, 2022.
- ^ "Breeze Airways NW22 Network Additions Summary – 23OCT22". Aeroroutes. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Our Destinations". Breeze Airways.
- ^ "British Airways - Timetables". Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "Cape Air schedules". Cape Air. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Contour Airlines". Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
- ^ a b "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ "Flair Airlines - Flight Status". Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ Salerno, Michael. "Frontier Airlines just added a slew of new flights from Phoenix. Here's where you can go". AZCentral. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Frontier". Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ "JetBlue Airlines Timetable". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Southern Airways Express Routes". Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Southwest Airlines Newsroom". Retrieved June 17, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Southwest Airlines Extends Flight Schedule Through Jan. 4, 2023". Retrieved June 16, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Southwest Airlines Flight Schedules". Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Spirit Airlines Route Map". Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
- ^ "Route Map & Flight Schedule". Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Where we fly".
- ^ a b "Timetable". Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "Flight schedules". Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
- ^ "Amazon expands cargo program at BNA".
- ^ a b "Nashville, TN: Nashville Metropolitan (BNA)". United States Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ "EAL BNA 1963 Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ "Gulfstream I 1985 Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Eric Schmitt (January 31, 1996). "Jet Aviator Killed in Nashville Had Earlier Crash, Navy Says". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "TWA BNA 1999 Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ "NTSB: Pilot wrote letters to Taylor Swift with 'flavor of stalking' before crash". August 6, 2018. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "NTSB: Plane Was Scheduled to Land in Ontario". Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Southwest flight skids off taxiway in Nashville". CNN. December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
External links
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Nashville International Airport, official site
- Nashville International (BNA) at Tennessee DOT airport directory
- Aerial image as of March 1997[dead link] from USGS The National Map
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective August 8, 2024
- FAA Terminal Procedures for BNA, effective August 8, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KBNA
- ASN accident history for BNA
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBNA
- FAA current BNA delay information
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken graphs
- CS1 maint: url-status
- Articles with short description
- Use mdy dates from May 2014
- Good articles
- Coordinates not on Wikidata
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- All articles with dead external links
- Articles with dead external links from July 2022
- AC with 0 elements
- Airports in Tennessee
- Airports established in 1937
- Transportation buildings and structures in Nashville, Tennessee
- 1937 establishments in Tennessee