Inside Nashville: 2,799 Empty Leg Departures Across 479 Destinations

Nashville’s private aviation market punches well above its size. Over a rolling 12-month window of listings, Nashville International Airport (KBNA) generated 2,799 cross-region outbound empty leg departures reaching 479 distinct destinations — making Nashville one of the busiest hub airports for repositioning traffic in the American South. Those legs are available to travelers willing to search a little differently, often at 25 to 75 percent below the cost of a comparable full-charter booking.

What is a Nashville empty leg?

When a private jet operator flies a charter into Nashville and has no return passenger booked, the aircraft must reposition to its next assignment empty. Rather than absorb the full cost, many FAA Part 135 operators list that seat as an empty leg — available for booking at a significant discount. Nashville produces this situation at scale because it is a major convention, entertainment, and corporate headquarters market that draws inbound traffic year-round.

Where do Nashville empty legs go?

The FOLLOWUP data shows a clear pattern: Nashville’s repositioning traffic fans out primarily toward coastal financial and leisure markets. Atlanta leads with 93 cross-region legs over the rolling window, followed closely by New York-area airports — including Teterboro — with a combined 114 legs. West Palm Beach draws 67 legs, Miami 54, and Naples, Florida 53. Dallas accounts for 44 legs, and Washington DC is represented with 32 legs to Dulles. Together, these seven metro areas absorb the majority of Nashville’s identifiable cross-region empty-leg volume.

That geographic spread reflects two distinct demand drivers. Florida routes peak in winter and spring as Nashville-based operators position aircraft toward warm-weather charters. New York and Washington DC routes reflect Nashville’s growing profile as a corporate travel hub — music-industry and healthcare executives regularly charter between Middle Tennessee and the Northeast corridor, leaving repositioning legs in both directions.

How does Nashville compare to the national picture?

SkyAccess tracks more than 5,000 live empty-leg listings at any given moment across more than 900 FAA Part 135 certified operators. Within that national inventory, Nashville’s 2,799 cross-region outbound legs rank it among the top-tier US departure airports by repositioning volume — comparable to peer markets like Fort Lauderdale and Seattle. The 479 distinct destinations reached from KBNA is particularly notable: it reflects the airport’s position as a network node rather than a point-to-point market, with operators routing Nashville departures toward dozens of secondary markets across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Gulf Coast.

The 20-month span of data (of 21 available in the dataset) confirms Nashville is not a seasonal anomaly. Empty legs originate from KBNA in every month represented, with the heaviest concentration toward Q1 (Florida positioning) and Q3 (convention and festival season traffic flowing into Nashville and then repositioning outbound).

How to book a Nashville empty leg flight

Finding and booking an empty leg from Nashville requires monitoring in near real time — these flights post when operators confirm repositioning needs, often 24 to 72 hours in advance. SkyAccess aggregates listings across operators and surfaces available legs on the KBNA airport page, where travelers can filter by date, destination, and aircraft type. Pricing on a Nashville-to-Atlanta or Nashville-to-Miami empty leg typically reflects the 25 to 75 percent savings range relative to a comparable on-demand full-charter quote on the same aircraft.

Nashville routes appear regularly toward Atlanta, the New York area, and Florida markets — the corridors with the highest leg counts in the FOLLOWUP data. Travelers with flexibility on exact departure airport (Nashville has multiple FBO options at KBNA) and willing to commit quickly when a listing goes live see the best selection.

Frequently asked questions

How many empty leg flights originate from Nashville?

Over a rolling 12-month window of listings, Nashville International Airport (KBNA) generated 2,799 cross-region outbound empty leg departures reaching 479 distinct destinations. These are repositioning legs posted by FAA Part 135 operators who need to move aircraft after completing inbound charters.

Which destinations get the most Nashville empty legs?

Atlanta leads with 93 cross-region legs, followed by New York-area airports with a combined 114 legs (including Teterboro), West Palm Beach with 67, Miami with 54, Naples, Florida with 53, Dallas with 44, and Washington DC with 32 legs to Dulles — all over the same rolling 12-month window.

How much can you save on Nashville empty leg flights?

Nashville empty leg flights on SkyAccess are typically priced 25 to 75 percent below a comparable full-charter booking on the same aircraft and route. The exact discount depends on timing, aircraft type, and how urgently the operator needs to reposition the jet.

This data is citable with attribution to SkyAccess. For same-day custom pulls, contact press@theskyaccess.com.