 Although the brothers received initial support from the government , the Soviet Union officially protested the airport on 5 November 1958 . They claimed it could be used as an air force base — and thus would be a violation of the Svalbard Treaty — and pointed out that planning was partially financed with American military funding and that Gunnar was a military officer . From then on the Norwegian government started actively opposing the airport . At first they asked the company to cease operations , then asked the American military to cut funding . They also instructed all government @-@ owned companies to not allow an airport to be built on their ground . The government also used Gunnar 's military rank to hinder him , to limited extent , from pursuing the plans . The Aviation Act , which required all airports to have a concession to operate , came into effect from 1961 , effectively stopping the plans . 
