New airport in the Sacred Valley. This project is controversial

The location of Machu Picchu in Peru is not accidental. The Incas wanted their city located on a mountain top in the Amazon to remain hidden as much as possible. Today, almost 600 years later, tourists can easily get here. However, there may soon be even more of them, thanks to the new airport, which will significantly shorten the time of crossing to one of the new seven wonders of the world. There are supposed to be even 200 percent more foreign guests, which does not necessarily please the inhabitants of nearby towns and villages.

New airport in Chinchero

When traveling to Machu Picchu, you will no longer need to transfer trains in Lima and Cuzco. All thanks to the Chinchero International Airport, located in the Sacred Valley, on the outskirts of the city of the same name. Years after construction began, the project is slowly coming to an end. The airport was originally supposed to open this year, but it turns out that it will most likely have to wait until the end of 2027. Travel time to the best-preserved Inca city can be shortened by up to several days. However, unreliable railway connections with Aguas Calientes, which have been repeatedly canceled due to strikes, will remain a significant problem.

Residents are not convinced about the airport

According to plans, the airport in Chinchero will serve eight million passengers a year, which will increase the number of visitors by 200 percent. Supporters claim that an airport in this location will bring an important economic stimulus to the region and create over five thousand jobs in construction alone. The benefits also apply to up to one million people employed in tourism.

As the BBC writes, there is no shortage of opponents. These include guides, archaeologists, nature defenders and people who grew up in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. “Guide Luis Flores says that since the airport was announced over a decade ago, families around Chinchero have started selling their farmland,” we read. More hotels and amenities for tourists will soon appear near the new airport, and the landscape will change irreversibly.