May 14, 2026, 12:48 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Hidden tunnel systems, strange symbols, disturbing murals, mysterious accidents: Officially, Denver International Airport is a regular modern airport. But unofficially, it is a hotbed of the most bizarre conspiracy theories.
It began in 1995. In the state of Colorado, USA, just under 25 miles northeast of Denver, a new airport opened. Denver International Airport was supposed to be completed two years earlier, and its construction costs of $4.8 billion far exceeded the planned $1.7 billion. So far, nothing unusual.
Who is “The New World Airport Commission”?
What is unusual is that the new airport has been at the center of numerous conspiracy theories from the start. This was fueled by the mysterious financing, allegedly by an ominous private organization. Its name is engraved on a strange memorial stone at the airport, but it officially does not exist, as emphasized by the Daily Telegraph. Its name: “The New World Airport Commission.”
“New World” evokes associations. “New World Order” is a key term in countless conspiracy theories: The “New World Order” refers to a world domination system, which, depending on the theory, is pursued by aliens, totalitarian elites, secret societies, political extremists, or divine beings. Airport spokespersons responded to the Daily Telegraph article with a hasty explanation: The airport commission had nothing to do with the “New World Order.” “New World” did not refer to “New World” but merely to a “New ‘World Airport Commission,'” consisting of local businesspeople.
Does Denver Airport have runways in the shape of a swastika?
This explanation is likely to make conspiracy theory enthusiasts even more suspicious. The “New World Airport Commission” is just one of many question marks surrounding perhaps the strangest airport in the world.
For example, the arrangement of runways causes great concern. Seen from above, it resembles a giant swastika. Is a secret society of Nazis planning the “New World Order” here? No, the design was purely practical and more closely resembled a windmill, a spokesperson for the airport emphasized to the Daily Telegraph. The newspaper had previously shown runway sketches from several other major U.S. airports that did not display any swastika patterns.
Hidden Tunnel System
The underground system of the airport, which includes a subway for passengers, is also seen by conspiracy theorists as evidence that secret powers are at play here. There are tunnels not open to passengers, for which there is a fairly simple explanation. One reason why Denver International Airport opened later than planned was problems with the construction of an automatic underground baggage handling system. It was never completed. However, the tunnels still exist.
Conspiracy theorists also speak of bunkers supposedly hidden under the vast area. The dubious website vigilantcitizen.com even claims that these “gigantic structures” might soon be “more than a normal airport,” such as a secret military base, and that this could happen “in the near future.”
Freemason Stone with Time Capsule
Some even speculate that the large new airport was built as a facade to distract from the underground structures. After all, Denver already had a functioning airport: Stapleton International Airport was much closer to the city and had more runways. An article in Rational Wiki, which provides simple explanations for wild myths, points out that these arguments are nonsense: Precisely because the old airport was so close to Denver, it had to be replaced due to space and noise issues, and the new airport’s capacities are greater.
The peculiar interior is not particularly helpful in dispelling conspiracy theories–quite the opposite. The memorial stone with the reference to the “New World Airport Commission” alone gives rise to numerous bizarre theories. Not only does it also bear the symbol of the Freemasons–for many, the epitome of a secret society–it also contains a note that a time capsule is embedded in it, to be opened in 2094.
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Apocalyptic Scenes, Mysterious Signs
The disturbing murals by artist Leo Tanguma provided further fodder for obscure theories. They depict armies of crying women holding dead babies, a giant soldier with a gas mask and machine gun stabbing a dove of peace with a sword, cities going up in flames, children from all continents handing over their countries’ weapons to a blond boy in Bavarian costume–and in the end: scenes of peace. “They clearly show the world of the ‘New Order’ after a genocide,” is the paranoid interpretation in a bizarre YouTube video by conspiracy theorists.
The murals with gas mask soldiers and dead children shocked many travelers.
Images on the floor sparked further speculation, especially one: It shows a cart with the abbreviations “Au” and “Ag”–the chemical symbols for gold and silver, one might think. However, some see it as the abbreviation for “Australian Antigen,” a deadly form of hepatitis that, paranoids fear, could serve as a bioweapon, according to U.S. reports. Also, “foreign characters” fuel wild theories–most of them, however, are simply place names in Colorado in the language of the Navajo indigenous people.
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Strange Accidents
Undoubtedly creepy is the giant statue of a rearing horse with glowing red eyes that adorns the airport–and the fact that it killed the artist who created it. Luis Jimenez succumbed to his injuries in 2006 when a part of his “Mustang” statue fell.
A series of strange accidents has reinforced the airport’s eerie reputation. On February 16, 2007, within three and a half hours, the windshields of 14 planes shattered. The exact reason could not be determined by the official investigation. For conspiracy theorists, the answer is obvious, according to a report: It was “electromagnetic forces” caused by atomic tests at the secret test site beneath the airport grounds.
And the series of incidents seems unending. According to the news portal “The Coloradean,” there have been several security incidents and emergency landings at Denver International Airport in recent months. Among other things, a plane had to be evacuated after a reported bomb threat; furthermore, a Boeing collided with a deicing vehicle.
A particularly tragic accident occurred in early May: A person who was unauthorizedly on an active runway at Denver International Airport was struck and killed by a departing Airbus. Who the person was and how they got onto the grounds is still unknown. Authorities, according to “The Coloradean,” do not see any connections between the various incidents.
Text contribution: Maike Grunwald