US. Nashville International Airport (BNA) has unveiled the newly revamped Grand Lobby. The spectacular facility includes 12 new travel retail brands managed by master concessionaire Fraport USA.
The Grand Lobby is part of the US$1.2-billion BNA Vision expansion plan. Launched in 2017, the project will enable the airport to accommodate a projected surge in passenger traffic to an initial (pre-pandemic) projection of 23 million by the end of this year.
Spanning 200,000sq ft in the centre of the terminal, the redesigned five-storey lobby features 24 security lanes, immersive digital displays and art installations, together with a strong and still developing retail and food & beverage offer.
The Grand Lobby features a sweeping roof canopy and a round skylight that gives the building the shape of an acoustic guitar when viewed from above, a reference to Nashville’s status as Music City and home of country music.
It also includes a pedestrian bridge that connects to the Grand Plaza, and a terminal parking garage. A new on-airport Hilton Hotel and an international arrivals facility are also due to open this year.
An immersive multimedia showcase through two massive 12K resolution screens welcomes passengers as they enter the lobby.
Nashville International Airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen said: “Since the launch of BNA Vision in 2017, we’ve been hard at work building and renovating Nashville International Airport to meet the travel demands of Tennessee today and into the future.
“The new Grand Lobby dramatically changes the look, feel, and energy of the airport. We’ve more than doubled our security screening capacity to handle the region’s growth and popularity as a destination. With large-scale art installations, high-definition video displays, new restaurants and retail spaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows, it will be clear as soon as you step foot into BNA that Nashville is home to a world-class airport.”
The Grand Lobby features 12 new travel retail outlets, including Music City Shop, Nashville Jam Session, Draper James, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Whiskey Trailhead, Parnassus Books, Lily Palmer Flowers on the Fly, Pharmacy Burger Parlor, Johnston & Murphy, Natalie’s Candy Jar, InTune and The Atrium.
Retail and concession operator Fraport Tennessee said on a LinkedIn post that 15 additional travel retail brands will be launched in the Grand Lobby later this year.
Fraport Tennessee Vice President Matt Jennings said: “The airport is the gateway to the city, and the Grand Lobby is the crowning jewel of the BNA Vision. We want the passenger to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of Nashville when they arrive and depart at BNA. It’s truly a unique experience that is unprecedented and memorable.”
The Grand Lobby also boasts a five-storey sculpture from artist Jacob Hashimoto called The Unscalable Ramparts of Time, an installation crafted with 8,000 washi paper kites suspended from fibreglass rods. Each side wall of the lobby showcases a 105-foot hanging garden by Garden on the Wall that portrays the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge through the use of moss, hydrangea, ferns and other flora found natively in Tennessee.
The expansion is not over, Kreulen added. “The next phase, which we’re calling New Horizon, is an additional US$1.4 billion plan phased out over the next six years with completion in late 2028. That work is underway now, and we can’t wait to share our progress over the next few years,” he commented. ✈
