The world-famous Inca site Machu Picchu Peru is going to get an airport. Peru's government started preparing the ground the airport earlier this week. Around one million tourists visit Machu Picchu every year. Government officials hope the new Chinchero International Airport will make it easier tourists to reach the site. Getting to Machu Picchu currently takes time and requires a bus and train. The nearest airport is 120 kilometers in the city Cuzco. The new airport will allow direct international flights the heart the Machu Picchu area. The government says this will be a boost the country's tourism industry. More than 7 million passengers a year may use the airport.
Machu Picchu was built the 15th century the Inca people. They built it 2,430 meters on a misty peak in the Andes Mountains. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site 1983. Many people are unhappy the building of the new airport. Conservationists say it will cause a lot damage to Machu Picchu and its surrounding rural communities. Peruvian archaeologist Abel Traslaviña said: "The airport...endangers the conservation one of the most important historical and archaeological sites the world. An airport the surroundings the Sacred Valley will affect the integrity a complex Inca landscape and will cause irreparable damage due to noise, traffic and uncontrolled urbanization."
