Passenger service began that same year. In April 1957, the schedule book showed Eastern operating six weekday departures from Spartanburg, Southern running four, and Delta running three. The arrangement ended in 1962 when the new Greenville-Spartanburg Jetport opened halfway between the two cities and the airlines moved their operations - the jetport eventually became Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Spartanburg's downtown field reverted to general aviation. It had been wartime busy in the interim: during World War II it served as a training facility for the U.S. Army Air Corps and a refueling stop for naval aviators heading inland. An FAA-operated control tower ran the field until 1981, when it closed during the PATCO controllers' strike and never reopened.

The original layout had three intersecting runways - 4/22 at 5,203 feet, 17/35 at 4,226 feet, and 11/29 at 4,403 feet - all 150 feet wide, with a parallel taxiway system connecting them to the ramp. Today only one remains. Runway 4/22 was redesignated 5/23 to reflect magnetic variation drift, and the other two are visible only in faint outlines from the air. Prevailing winds favor the surviving runway. A $25 million extension project completed in 2018 lengthened 5/23 to 5,852 feet, added safety areas at both ends, resurfaced the asphalt and upgraded navigation. Runway 5 carries an ILS approach. WAAS approaches serve both 5 and 23. The lighting package includes HIRL edge lights, VASI, and the MALSR medium-intensity approach lighting. The Spartanburg Vortac sits 7.2 miles northeast; the Fairmont NDB is 1.6 miles west.

The original 1936 terminal building survives, renovated and expanded in 2011, now housing a city-operated FBO. Two flight schools work the field: Pivotal Aviation and Aero II. Several hangars stand adjacent to the terminal, and the Spartanburg Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol calls the airport home, along with the Spartanburg Pilot's Association. In 2018 the airport added an aviation-themed playground with a viewing platform and a covered pavilion - a deliberate move to reconnect the surrounding city with the field that taught it to fly. The economic case is plain: $15.4 million contributed to the local economy, 190 aviation-related jobs, a payroll over $5.2 million. Spartanburg Downtown Memorial is the third-busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina, with almost 69,000 operations a year. Three miles from the Hub City's center, it still serves the function it was built for - moving people in and out by air.