In 2016 the Government announced an expansion of the airport to increase the runway size by 2,504 feet. This followed years of speculation and proposals; discussions about expansion and how to finance it were being undertaken in 2014. Although initial reports indicated that the United Kingdom had approved the necessary financial borrowing, later reports suggested that the UK's consent had been withheld in connection with concerns about the financial viability of the project. Under agreed financial protocols, external borrowing by the BVI Government needs to be approved by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.