By Tim Binnall
Denver International Airport is once again embracing its longstanding place in conspiracy lore by way of several signs throughout the facility which celebrate the site's infamous reputation. Since opening in 1995, the airport has been the subject of all manner of sinister suggestions from conspiracy theorists who suspect that the site is more than a mere hub for travelers. The speculation has, for the most part, centered around the underground parts of the facility which, some argue, are designed for use by clandestine groups such as the New World Order or even aliens of the reptilian variety.
Largely relegated to conspiracy theory research circles and as a kind of in-joke among those who worked at or passed through the airport, the rumors were finally outright acknowledged by the facility back in October 2016. It was then that a temporary exhibit was constructed to showcase the strange stories that have long surrounded the location. Administrators even created a contest where the winner was given a tour of the notorious underground areas of the site.
And the airport's newfound appreciation of its conspiracy connection is back on display this summer thanks to a clever ad campaign. Adorning a number of temporary walls throughout the facility that are covering up construction being done at the site are rather enormous graphics depicting conspiracy iconography like aliens and the all-seeing eye of Horus. The designs reference the tales associated with the airport, direct observers to a website about the theories, and jokingly hint at secretive happenings taking place behind the walls.
In a statement which seems to perfectly embody the bizarre times we're living in, a spokesperson for the airport mused to the Denver Post "we recognize that conspiracy theories are part of our brand." However, not everyone is happy about the facility using these concepts in its marketing. Some have gone so far as to posit that it is actually a conspiracy, in itself, to diffuse the stories about the site by ridiculing them so that no one takes them seriously. While that may sound like a particularly paranoid perspective on the otherwise innocent signage, it's perfectly in keeping with what one has come to expect from the Denver airport after all these years.