How Many New Routes Are Coming To Nashville International Airport In 2025?

Tennessee’s Nashville International Airport
(BNA) is taking off in the new year with quite a few new routes. The state’s busiest airport will welcome nonstop flights from across the United States and several international destinations this year, including Iceland and Ireland.

Iceland and beyond

A new link to Iceland was initially scheduled to begin in May, but due to popular demand and strong sales, Icelandair brought forward the launch of its Nashville to Reykjavík’s Keflavik International Airport
(KEF) route to April 10th, 2025, five weeks earlier than initially scheduled. Apart from the inaugural service, which lands on a Thursday, the flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays until the end of October 2025.

The link is expected to boost connectivity for those in Tennessee as well. Passengers flying with Icelandair
can take advantage of the airline’s famous stopover program to spend a few extra days in Iceland at no extra charge before connecting onwards to Icelandair’s European network or even returning from a different European gateway via Iceland. Tomas Ingason, Chief Commercial Officer of Icelandair, noted how many options this provides:

Speaking to Simple Flying last year regarding the route, Icelandair officials confirmed that Icelanders were also very excited to visit Music City. At the same time, Europeans now have a new option for flights to Tennessee. Doug Kreulen, President and CEO of Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), expressed his excitement for the flight to arrive earlier than planned:

“We’re thrilled to see this new connection to Iceland take flight even sooner than expected.

“This accelerated launch of Icelandair’s new route is a testament to the excitement surrounding this connection. We’re honored to partner with Icelandair to offer our passengers more international travel options and further solidify Nashville’s position as a global destination.”

Photo: Pavel1964 | Shutterstock

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A lucky flight to Ireland

Just two days later, another European island is receiving direct flights. Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus
will begin flights to Dublin Airport
(DUB) on April 12th, 2025. The new link will provide a direct gateway to Ireland’s stunning landscapes and growing country music scene.

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The route will be served by a brand new Airbus A321XLR
, which will operate the 8.5-hour link from Nashville to Dublin four times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Passengers will also be able to book onward connections through Dublin to major European cities, including London, Edinburgh, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, Manchester, and Berlin. For Doug Kreulen, the new service opens up a whole new world of opportunities for area residents:

“A new chapter in travel history begins today as Music City and the Emerald Isle are linked by a nonstop flight through our exciting new partnership with Aer Lingus.

“Nashville’s legendary music scene and Dublin’s rich history make this a natural pairing. This nonstop flight will offer travelers an unforgettable opportunity to experience the best of both worlds, from exploring Ireland’s stunning landscapes and ancient ruins to immersing themselves in Nashville’s vibrant Broadway experience. It’s the perfect combination for those seeking adventure, culture, and a truly unforgettable journey.”

Photo: Airbus

Passengers returning through Dublin can even take advantage of the airport’s US Customs and Border Protection Preclearance
, allowing them to land back in Nashville as domestic passengers.

Air Canada connections

One of the airport’s existing international carriers will also increase flights and add new destinations this year. Beginning on May 1st, 2025, Star Alliance carrier Air Canada
will introduce a new seasonal service to Vancouver International Airport
(YVR). The link will operate three times weekly and has been strategically timed to provide easy connections via Vancouver to destinations in Japan and Korea.

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The airline is launching three new routes next year.

In addition to adding services to British Columbia, the airline is increasing its service to Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to twice daily (up from four times weekly in summer 2024) and maintaining its year-round service to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) with two daily flights.

Across all its Nashville services, Air Canada will offer connectivity to over 145 global destinations across six continents. When reached by Simple Flying, Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President of Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada, noted just how significant the airline’s expansion in Nashville is:

“We are pleased to further expand our YVR hub with new seasonal services to Nashville, complementing our flights from Nashville to our other hubs in Toronto and Montreal. Air Canada continues to reinforce its position as the leading carrier between Canada and the US with new flights to fast-growing metropolitan areas and sought out destinations.

“Customers in Western Canada have new options to explore all that Nashville has to offer, and our American customers can explore beautiful British Columbia with ease.

“At Air Canada’s Pacific gateway, our newest services further bolsters our 6th-freedom strategy by efficiently bridging North America and growing international destinations across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Photo: nylezuberi | Shutterstock

Much like flights from Dublin, passengers can take advantage of US customs preclearance in Canada to land in Nashville as if they were returning from a domestic US trip.

Southwest strikes again

Nashville’s largest carrier, Southwest Airlines
, will launch two new international routes from the Tennessee airport this year alongside seven domestic connections. Beginning on March 8th, 2025, Southwest will offer weekly Saturday flights between Nashville and Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos (SJD), Mexico, and Punta Cana
(PUJ) in the Dominican Republic. The new international links will complement Southwest’s existing service between Nashville and Cancun (CUN), with Doug Kreulen noting how important these international links are to the Middle Tennessee Region:

The new routes will be facilitated by the opening of Southwest’s newest Flight Crew base in Nashville on May 1st. In addition to the international routes, Southwest Airlines is boosting its domestic network, including its first intra-Tennessee route.

Once the new routes launch, Southwest will offer over 60 nonstop destinations from BNA. The new flights will boost Southwest’s scheduled presence in Nashville to an all-time high of 174 Sunday departures in April and May 2025. When reached for this piece, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines confirmed the new additions will help meet an increase in demand:

“We’re continuing to respond to strong demand from Nashville Customers as well as travelers wanting faster journeys to reach Music City. We are appreciative of our Customers’ loyalty and look forward to welcoming more people onboard this year as they travel to and from Tennessee with our expansive nonstop network from BNA. “

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

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Looking to Louisiana

US carrier Allegiant Air
is bringing a new nonstop destination to Nashville as part of one of its largest expansions in history. Beginning on May 22nd, 2025, Allegiant will begin flights from Nashville to Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) in Louisiana. The city of Shreveport is rich in history and culture, offering visitors a variety of attractions, including museums, art galleries, historic neighborhoods, and outdoor recreational opportunities. The surrounding area is home to the beautiful Red River and Barksdale Air Force Base.

Flights will operate seasonally on Thursdays and Sundays. Larry Blackwell, Director of Airports for the Shreveport Airport Authority, notes that the flights will connect the cities known for Southern cuisine and vibrant music scenes.

“We are very excited that Allegiant decided to add direct flights to Nashville, Tennessee, one of our most requested cities.

“We are always working to add new destinations from Shreveport.”

Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock

The addition was announced as part of Allegiant’s summer shakeup, which includes 44 new nonstop routes, including eleven routes to three new cities: Gulf Shores, Alabama, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Columbia, South Carolina.

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More than half of the routes have never been served by any carrier.

Frontier flies to Florida

Another carrier shaking up its route network and adding flights to Nashville is Frontier Airlines
. One of the airline’s new routes has been confirmed as a link from Tennessee to Florida. Frontier will launch a new nonstop route to Orlando International Airport
(MCO) on March 7th, 2025. The link will be operated by an Airbus A321neo, connecting Music City to the Magic City three times a week.

The new flight will face direct competition from a number of existing carriers on the route, including Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Speaking on the addition of Frontier to the busy link, Kreulen welcomed the increase in connectivity options:

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Frontier Airlines and offer this exciting new route to Orlando. This new service demonstrates our commitment to providing our passengers with more choices and convenient travel options.

“Orlando is a world-class destination, and we’re proud to connect our community to all it has to offer.”

Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock

Allegiant Air also connects Nashville with the nearby Orlando Sanford International Airport
(SFB).

All aboard with Avelo

Avelo Airlines will begin new routes to Nashville from several of its new bases as they open up over the coming months. The first new route (joining the existing Avelo Airlines
service from Tweed New Haven) is Central Florida’s Lakeland International Airport (LAL), located between Tampa and Orlando. Several of the other routes are to North Carolina, where it has three bases and will serve 27 nonstop routes next summer, including its first two international routes from the Research Triangle’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).

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These changes will take place in 2025.

All of the newly announced routes to Nashville will operate twice weekly, with services on Thursdays and Sundays. The only exception is Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA), which Avelo uses to serve Charlotte, linking the Queen City to Music City on Mondays and Fridays.

Speaking on the expansion of new flights to Nashville, Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy highlighted the airline’s commitment to the Tennessee city:

“We’re excited to announce an expansion of Avelo’s nonstop service in Nashville with four new nonstop routes to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Rochester and Wilmington. With six nonstop options, we continue to share Avelo’s low fares, travel-friendly convenience and industry-leading reliability to our Music City Customers.

“These new nonstop routes also make exploring the abundance of experiences Nashville has to offer a seamless journey for visitors.”

Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying

The entry of the new routes also allows Nashville residents to fly directly to two cities named Wilmington. Avelo uses Deleware’s Wilmington Airport (ILG) to serve the Philadelphia area and travelers across Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Meanwhile, North Carolina’s Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is one of Avelo’s upcoming new bases and serves North Carolina’s Atlantic Ocean coast and parts of South Carolina. And yes, Avelo has direct flights between the two Wilmingtons.

A busy year for BNA

In addition to the new routes, airlines like British Airways
are adding more frequencies to existing routes to boost capacity. Speaking exclusively to Simple Flying for this piece, Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, expressed his excitement for the 19 new routes to begin as the airport continues to expand:

“We are excited about the ongoing growth at Nashville International Airport® (BNA®). In 2025, we will expand our network with new international routes to Iceland and Ireland, as well as several new domestic routes.

“These additions underscore our commitment to enhancing the travel experience at BNA and meeting the rising demands of our passengers. We look forward to welcoming more travelers, broadening our reach, and continuing to serve as a world-class airport.”

Photo: Nashville International Airport

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Last year was quite busy for the airport, which continues to be the state’s busiest by a large margin. Over the airport’s busiest travel period, Fall Break, a record 107,000 total arriving, layover, and departing passengers were screened on Sunday, October 6th, 2023.