The in-demand direct flights Nashville International Airport wants to add may surprise you

Sandy Mazza, Nashville Tennessean
Updated 2 min read
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Throw a dart at a map of large U.S. cities, and you're likely to find a flight there from Nashville International Airport.

There are 93 nonstops available at BNA. But new connections across the globe are always at a premium.

From beachy locales to the vast deserts of the Southwest and neon-lit urban playgrounds, Nashville International Airport officials keep lists of desired destinations they actively court to add to its roster.

This month, Alaska Airlines announced that the first direct route between Nashville and Portland, Oregon, will start March 14. Portland has long been the most in-demand direct domestic destination, with more than 93,000 passengers flying between the two hipster-friendly locales each year, according to Nashville airport officials.

Behind Portland, Honolulu is the most-desired nonstop flight at BNA.

There are more than 50,000 passengers flying between Music City and Honolulu annually, airport officials said.

By summer 2024, Southwest plans to add nonstops with:

  • Daily service to Buffalo, New York and Ontario, California and regular trips to Burbank, California.

  • One-weekly flights to Bozeman, Montana.

  • Twice weekly direct routes to Grand Rapids, Michigan; Portland, Maine and Seattle, Washington.

Most in-demand routes

The top in-demand routes for direct service, according to BNA officials, are:

  • Buffalo, New York, (46,000 passengers a year).

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico, (44,000 passengers a year).

  • West Palm Beach, Florida, (39,000 passengers a year).

  • El Paso, Texas, (39,000 passengers a year).

  • Reno, Nevada, (37,000 passengers a year).

Airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen said they are constantly working to expand options for business and leisure travelers.

"With recent expansions, we will be able to introduce nonstop service to Portland, Oregon and Buffalo, New York starting in 2024," Kreulen said. "We also hope to add Honolulu, Albuquerque and El Paso to our list of non-stop destinations in the future."

To accommodate the growth, new gates and other facilities are being added as passenger numbers continue to increase at high rates, year after year.

The current $1.5 billion New Horizon expansion plan through 2028 includes extending concourses A and D with new gates, moving walkways, additional concessions and support systems.

Recently, BNA opened a new eight-gate satellite concourse, a shopping and dining marketplace and an International Arrivals Facility.

Meanwhile, top hoped-for international destinations in the near future include Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin and Amsterdam.

Sandy Mazza can be reached via email at smazza@tennessean.com, by calling 615-726-5962, or on Twitter @SandyMazza.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville airport wants to add Buffalo, El Paso, Reno direct flights

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