Nashville, Tenn. – With Nashville’s growth exceeding expectations, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) is accelerating terminal expansion at Nashville International Airport®, also known as BNA®, as it prepares for a projected 40 million annual travelers in the next decade, a significant increase over 2016 forecasts that projected 30 million annual travelers.
To meet this demand, BNA is launching the “Central Core Enhancement” on Monday, June 1, 2026 – a $40 million renovation to expand the current Central Core terminal entrance areas and ensure a world-class experience for millions of additional visitors. It is part of New Horizon, the airport’s $3 billion growth and expansion plan.
While BNA’s Central Core is under construction, arriving travelers who park in the Terminal Garages will enter the airport from the first level. Passengers who are being dropped off or picked up by family and friends will continue to have curbside access. Parking at BNA is not impacted by the Central Core Enhancement.
To assist with navigation of the project, BNA is working to ensure passengers are updated about progress, including:
- Providing additional staff dedicated to guiding travelers through areas that are near the renovation site.
- Implementing and regularly updating enhanced signage and wayfinding tools to aid both arriving and departing travelers.
- Continuing to share engaging content on social media (@flynashville) and website (flynashville.com) with project updates, tips and tricks to navigate construction areas, traveler-perspective videos, and other news of interest.
- Encouraging travelers to “arrive and enjoy.” Arrive in plenty of time to experience the local flavors, live music, art galleries and spirited shops that make BNA uniquely Nashville. BNA continues to recommend arrival two hours before departure for domestic and three hours for international flights.
When the project is complete and to maintain fluid, efficient travel for all passengers, the Central Core Enhancement will:
- Increase the number of escalators from 6 to 16 to create seamless movement between ground transportation, baggage claim, ticketing and the BNA Plaza.
- Double elevator capacity by adding an elevator and replacing the two existing elevators with upgraded, bigger and faster machinery to improve efficiency, comfort and accessibility for all travelers.
- Build greater capacity and long-term flexibility to ensure the airport operates at peak performance even during the busiest travel seasons.
