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.