Charlotte de Witte cancels Australia shows citing Middle East travel concerns

Charlotte de Witte has cancelled a string of shows in Australia this weekend citing travel concerns amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled since the US and Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran last week, which have in turn seen Iranian forces launch retaliation strikes on nearby Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as other territories.

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Flights from several key aviation transfer hubs located within Gulf states have been halted, leading to the cancellation of flights from Europe and the US to Australia. Dubai - the world's busiest transfer airport - has now been closed for three consecutive days.

In a statement posted via Instagram stories and X on March 4, Charlotte de Witte wrote: "Due to the recent escalation of conflict and drone attacks in the Middle East, it is not possible to risk-free reroute travel for myself and my crew. This decision was not taken lightly."

The KNTXT label head was due to play an "exclusive" Australia headline show at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Friday (March 6), with another appearance planned for Pitch Music & Arts Festival on Saturday (March 7).

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"We are working on rescheduling the Sydney show and finding an alternative show for Melbourne before the end of the year," de Witte added in her statement. "All ticket holders will be contacted directly by the event organisers with information regarding refunds or new dates."

You can read Charlotte de Witte's full statement below.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X