 The brothers presented the idea to the Government of Norway and SAS, but neither party was interested in investing in an airport. They contacted Kings Bay and asked the company to lease or purchase land to build the airport. The company was positive, but required that the airport remained under Norwegian ownership and regulations. On 22 October 1958, negotiations started with Vestlandske Flyselskap to start an airline service from the mainland to Svalbard. Financing of the airport was in part to be secured through a Hilton hotel, which would provide accommodation for tourists, and the "Roald Amundsen Institute," a planned research station.
