Snow hits Nashville with downtown flakes, plowing and sledding
Snowfall spreads across Nashville with plowing at the airport and sledding in local neighborhoods. A snapshot of winter in the city.
Andrew Nelles and Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean
A new airline aims to land in Nashville this spring, adding to eight other new nonstops on track to launch at Nashville International Airport in 2026.
Canada’s third largest commercial air carrier Porter Airlines announced on Jan. 29 that it’s heading to Music City. The company will launch a direct flight seven times weekly between Nashville International Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on May 11.
Billy Bishop is the smaller of Toronto’s two airports, but it is significantly closer to the city center than Toronto International Airport. Porter’s new flight route is BNA’s first to Billy Bishop, and it joins two other Toronto nonstops that fly into the international airport, including Air Canada’s year-round route and WestJet’s seasonal flight.
“Porter Airlines’ arrival at Nashville International Airport represents an exciting expansion of our international connectivity,” Nashville airport CEO Doug Kreulen wrote in a statement. “Nonstop access to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport gives our passengers a convenient and highly desirable connection to the heart of Toronto, and it reflects the continued demand we’re seeing from both business and leisure travelers in Middle Tennessee.”
This is Nashville’s first new flight announcement of 2026. It’s also the first international route addition since August 2025, when Southwest Airlines released plans for nonstop routes from BNA to San José, Costa Rica, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. They will both debut on March 7.
Nashville will also become Porter’s first destination in the Southeast U.S.
“Famed for its live music scene, creative industries and rich history, Nashville is a strong addition to our growing network of destinations,” Toronto Port Authority CEO TJ Steenstra said in a statement. “As Toronto’s downtown airport, we provide a convenient and efficient gateway to key destinations across Canada and the U.S., and we’re excited to make it easier for people to experience all that Nashville has to offer.”
New border patrol facility will open ahead of Nashville flight
Steenstra also said Nashville travelers will benefit from a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility that will soon open at Billy Bishop, offering “even greater convenience” for American and Canadian passengers alike.
The facility has been in the works since 2024, and it will allow CBP personnel to inspect passengers before they board U.S.-bound flights. Then, once they land in the U.S., passengers will be able to bypass customs and Transportation Security Administration checks, heading straight to their connecting flights or destination.
Officials at Billy Bishop said a $30 million investment from the Canadian government made the preclearance facility possible.
The opening is set for February, three months ahead of Porter’s launch in Nashville.
Airlines set to launch 9 new Nashville flights in 2026
While Porter’s Toronto-Nashville flight is the first announcement to come in 2026, several other airlines have existing additions that they will follow through on this year.
In all, BNA has nine new routes on the schedule to launch this year. But if the Nashville airport’s track record over the last five years is a predictor, plenty more new flights are likely in the works.
Here is every new flight BNA plans to welcome in 2026 so far:
- Knoxville, Tennessee, Southwest Airlines, March 5
- Little Rock, Arkansas, Southwest Airlines, March 6
- Montrose, Colorado , Southwest Airlines, March 6
- Phoenix, Arizona, Frontier Airlines, March 6
- Augusta, Georgia, Delta Air Lines, April 8, limited run through April 13 for the Masters Tournament
- Key West, Florida, Delta Air Lines, April 29, limited run through May 3 for spring break
- Montego Bay, Jamaica, Southwest Airlines, March 7
- San José, Costa Rica, Southwest Airlines, March 7
- Toronto City, Canada, Porter Airlines, May 11
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at [email protected]. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean.
link