Construction at Cusco’s new international airport is set to start in July 2013, according to Chinchero’s mayor, Juan Carlos Gomez.

Gomez said he was confident the government would be able to complete the purchase of the land needed for the airport by the end of the year, RPP reported.

The mayor said there were 359 hectares of land, which will be purchased from nearby farming communities.

The government, he said, has allocated 200 million soles for the purchasing of this land.

Gomez added that Cusco’s new airport in Chinchero would generate $5 million for Cusco.

Earlier this month Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Paredes said the new airport would be completed in four to five years.

The minister said the once the Chinchero airport was completed, the Velasco Astete International Airport would be shut down, Peru21 reported.

The new Chinchero airport, he said, would cost around $400 million, and would be able to receive international flights without the need for a stopover in Lima.

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