A good rundown on the Nashville ,Tennessee airport BERRY FIELD.

Nashville’s first airport opened in June 1937, culminating a two-year process that began with the selection of a 340-acre site located along the Dixie Highway (now Murfreesboro Road) and built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project.

Named in honor of Colonel Harry S. Berry, state administrator of the WPA, Berry Field consisted of a terminal building, two hangars, a 4,000-foot concrete runway and a flashing beacon. The three letter identifier, BNA, stands for Berry Field Nashville. American and Eastern airlines were the first air carriers to serve Nashville, and within the year, 189,000 passengers had used the facilities.

During World War II, Berry Field became the military base for the 4th Ferrying Command, and the federal government added additional acreage for its military operations. In 1946, after the war ended, the military returned a 1,500-acre airport site to the city.

With the rapid growth of air transportation, Berry Field's facilities became obsolete, and in 1958, the City Aviation Department began plans to expand the airport. A new 145,900-square-foot passenger terminal opened in 1961, a year after the inaugural flight of Nashville's first jet-powered service. Six airlines were then serving Nashville, and airline passengers exceeded half a million people (532,790). In 1963, the existing Runway (2L-20R) was extended by an additional 600 feet, and construction began on a new crosswind Runway (13-31).

The growth in air travel brought on new challenges and opportunities related to operating an airport as a business. In 1968, a citizens group, led by the late John C. Tune, garnered public and political support for creating a non-governmental entity that would be self-financing and assure Nashvillians of a safe, efficient and modern airport, well into the future.  In 1969, the General Assembly passed legislation allowing the Airport Authority to be created. In 1970, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County formed the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), replacing the City Aviation Department.