Nashville International Airport is in the middle of a major transformation. On June 1, 2026, work began on a US$40 million major terminal upgrade project that will upgrade elevators and more than double the number of escalators connecting the airport’s levels. The goal: to move more people, more quickly, through one of the fastest-growing airports in the country. This “Central Core Enhancement” Project by BNA, which began its construction in June, will continue through December 2027. The most recent terminal renovation was completed three years ago, but revised projections show that BNA needs to prepare for the unprecedented growth of travellers. A 2016 forecast originally projected 30 million travelers in the next decade, but the airport now expects 40 million by the year 2038, including 3.8 million during a peak month. As a result, this project is part of the airport’s US$3 billion New Horizon expansion, a plan built to handle up to 40 million annual travelers in the next decade. The project will increase the number of escalators from six to 16, along with adding a landing on Level 4. It will also add a third elevator and replace the two existing elevators with upgraded, bigger, and faster machinery to double overall capacity. Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, said, "When we started this journey in 2018, surely Nashville can’t stay this hot? We’re still hot, and that’s when we designed this to happen. Because we had to raise the bar from 30 million to 40 million.” Between BNA Vision and New Horizon, the airport has seen about US$4.5 billion in new investment. Beyond the central core, New Horizon is bringing a rebuilt Concourse A, a bigger Concourse D, and upgrades across the airfield—all aimed at keeping Middle Tennessee’s main airport ahead of the curve as passenger and airline demand keep climbing. Written by Tricia.