Camel City renovated the existing structures, strengthened field lights and installed a grandstand for aerial shows.

In 1933, the Civil Works Administration, a program developed by The New Deal, began extending each runway by 500 feet (150 m), lining the main hangar floors with concrete and relocating the field lighting system.

Through the 1930s Miller Airport received many New Deal projects including a new administration building, a third runway, and a field lighting system.

From 1942 until 1945, Smith Reynolds Airport was a training base for military pilots in addition to its commercial and private airline services.

[5] Predecessor Camel City Flying Services had become Piedmont Aviation, Inc. in 1940 and spent the 1940s building a base in flight training and airline sales.

The company grew to over 80 employees by 1947 when the federal Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) awarded Piedmont Airlines a temporary certificate for regional air service.

In 1966 the airline was operating Fairchild F-27 turboprops and Martin 4-0-4 prop aircraft from Smith Reynolds Airport with fifteen weekday departures, direct to Asheville; Atlanta; Baltimore; Charleston, West Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Cincinnati; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Kinston, North Carolina; Knoxville; Louisville; Myrtle Beach; Newport News; Norfolk; Washington, D.C.; Wilmington and other destinations.

[7] In 1968 Piedmont was flying Boeing 727-100 jetliners nonstop to Asheville and Roanoke and direct to Atlanta, New York La Guardia Airport and Charlottesville.

The June 1, 1960 Eastern Air Lines system timetable listed nonstop flights to Washington National Airport and Charlotte as well as direct service between INT and New York La Guardia Airport, New York Newark Airport, Atlanta, Providence, Rhode Island, Richmond, Virginia, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Wilmington, North Carolina, and other destinations operated with Convair 440, Lockheed Constellation (L-1049 "Super-G" model) and Martin 4-0-4 prop aircraft.

[12] Capital and Eastern then ceased to serve the airport and the only remaining scheduled passenger airline flights were operated by Piedmont and its successors.

By 1984, the only scheduled air carrier flights were being operated by commuter turboprops to the nearby Piedmont hub at Charlotte (CLT).

In 1989, USAir Express was operating seven flights a day between the airport and Charlotte with British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 and Short 360 commuter turboprop aircraft.

[13] By 1999, successor US Airways Express was operating only three flights a day between the airport and Charlotte with BAe Jetstream 31 commuter propjets.