Morning fog lifting off a forested ridge above a wildflower meadow in the Great Smoky Mountains

Gatlinburg · Pigeon Forge · Dollywood · the national park

Closest airport to the Smokies: Knoxville, TYS.

Six airports claim to be "the Smokies airport." Here they are side by side, with real road distances to the towns and a chooser that checks the nonstops from your own city.

Check from my city

Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

Knoxville McGhee Tyson (TYS) is the closest airport with airline service to the Smokies' Tennessee side: 45.3 miles to Gatlinburg, 38.4 to Pigeon Forge and 39.3 to Dollywood, about 1h 00m to 1h 14m without traffic. The Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport (GKT) is closer but has no airline flights. For Cherokee and the North Carolina side, Asheville (AVL) is closer.

Checked October 19, 2026

45.3miles from TYS to Gatlinburg by road.

36cities with a nonstop to Knoxville.

6airlines at TYS: Allegiant, American, Avelo, Delta, Southwest, United.

0airline flights at GKT, the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport.

Interactive

Which airport is closest for you?

Pick where you're staying and the city you fly from. Airports re-rank by drive time and by whether your city has a nonstop there. Slide toward the side that matters more.

Closest airport chooserOSRM drive times · nonstops checked October 19, 2026

Where you're staying Your home airport Every city with a nonstop to Knoxville

What matters more?Both matterShortest driveNonstop from home

TYS Knoxville McGhee Tyson
1h 14m
AVL Asheville Regional
2h 08m
GSP Greenville-Spartanburg
3h 25m
CHA Chattanooga Metropolitan
2h 57m
BNA Nashville International
4h 08m
ATL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
4h 54m
GKT Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge
28 min

Drive times are free-flow OSRM estimates from each airport to the town center (real traffic on the Parkway and in Gatlinburg adds time). GKT, the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, has no airline service. Nonstop data: official airport route lists, except Atlanta (Wikipedia). Seasonal routes don't fly every month.

Side by side

Every Smokies airport, compared

Road miles and free-flow drive time from each terminal (OSRM). Tri-Cities (TRI) in Blountville is another option to the northeast: 101.9 miles to Gatlinburg and 84.3 to Cosby.

Airport	To Gatlinburg	To Pigeon Forge	To Townsend	To Cherokee, NC	Airline service
TYS Knoxville	45.3 mi · 1h 14m	38.4 mi · 1h 00m	21.1 mi · 35 min	72.8 mi · 2h 21m	6 airlines, 36 nonstop cities
GKT Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge	15.4 mi · 28 min	8.6 mi · 14 min	23.1 mi · 41 min	50.8 mi · 1h 38m	None. General aviation only
AVL Asheville	90.1 mi · 2h 08m	102.3 mi · 2h 10m	116.9 mi · 2h 38m	55.7 mi · 1h 23m	Allegiant, American, Delta, United, Sun Country
GSP Greenville-Spartanburg	142.3 mi · 3h 25m	154.5 mi · 3h 27m	169.1 mi · 3h 55m	107.9 mi · 2h 40m	Allegiant, American, Avelo, Breeze, Delta, Southwest, United
CHA Chattanooga	145.2 mi · 2h 57m	138.4 mi · 2h 44m	117.6 mi · 2h 28m	141 mi · 3h 15m	Allegiant, American, Delta, United
BNA Nashville	214.5 mi · 4h 08m	207.6 mi · 3h 54m	192.3 mi · 3h 45m	249.9 mi · 5h 19m	18 airlines, including Southwest and international carriers
ATL Atlanta	205.2 mi · 4h 54m	218.1 mi · 4h 54m	200.4 mi · 4h 28m	170.1 mi · 3h 43m	Delta's hub, plus most major US and many international airlines

Who flies to TYS

Airlines that fly to the Smokies' airport.

Allegiant21 nonstops

Austin, Boston, Chicago (Midway), Denver, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Houston (Hobby), Jacksonville, Key West, Las Vegas, Memphis, Newark, Orlando (International), Orlando (Sanford), Philadelphia, Phoenix (Sky Harbor), Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, Sarasota/Bradenton, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Washington (Dulles)

American6 nonstops

Charlotte, Chicago (O'Hare), Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington (Reagan National)

Avelo1 nonstop

New Haven

Delta4 nonstops

Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York (LaGuardia)

Southwest7 nonstops

Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Dallas (Love Field), Denver, Nashville, Orlando (International), Tampa

United5 nonstops

Chicago (O'Hare), Denver, Houston (Intercontinental), Newark, Washington (Dulles)

From McGhee Tyson's nonstop list and the airlines' schedules, checked October 2026. Seasonal routes don't run every month. See every nonstop from TYS.

Layered blue ridgelines of the Great Smoky Mountains fading into haze, with dark spruce in the foreground

The GKT question

"Gatlinburg airport" has no airlines.

The Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport sits in Sevierville, 8.6 miles from Pigeon Forge. It serves private and charter aircraft. FAA data shows its traffic is about 96% general aviation and none of it is scheduled airline service. If you're buying a ticket, you're flying into Knoxville.

Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

TYS to GatlinburgGatlinburg45.3 miles. Land-to-check-in planner.

TYS to DollywoodPigeon Forge39.3 miles. Season dates and timing.

TYS to TownsendCades Cove21.1 miles to Townsend, the quiet side.

BudgetTrip costCompare flying into TYS vs a farther airport.

Plan more

Questions

What is the closest airport to Gatlinburg, Tennessee?

The closest airport with airline service is Knoxville McGhee Tyson (TYS), 45.3 miles and about 1h 14m by road without traffic. The Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport (GKT) in Sevierville is closer but has no airline flights.

What is the closest airport to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood?

Knoxville (TYS): 38.4 miles to Pigeon Forge and 39.3 miles to Dollywood (OSRM road distance).

Does Southwest fly to the Smoky Mountains?

Southwest began flying to Knoxville (TYS) on March 5, 2026. As of October 2026 it serves Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Dallas (Love Field), Denver, Nashville, Orlando (International), Tampa from TYS, some of them seasonally.

Does Delta fly to Knoxville?

Yes. Delta flies TYS nonstop to Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York (LaGuardia).

Does GKT (Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport) have commercial flights?

No. GKT is a public-use general aviation airport with no scheduled airline service. Private and charter aircraft use it.

What is the closest international airport to the Smoky Mountains?

TYS has no scheduled international flights. Nashville (BNA) and Atlanta (ATL) both list international nonstops; they are 214.5 and 205.2 road miles from Gatlinburg. Many travelers connect through a hub and land at TYS.

Is Asheville closer to the Smokies than Knoxville?

Only for the North Carolina side. Asheville (AVL) is 55.7 miles from Cherokee versus 72.8 from TYS, but 90.1 miles from Gatlinburg versus 45.3 from TYS.

Sources