Charlotte de Witte Pulls Out of Events in Australia Over Middle East Flight Risks

The war between the US, Israel, and Iran has spilled over into 11 Middle Eastern countries, leading Charlotte de Witte to abandon plans to fly through the region.

Charlotte de Witte has announced that she must cancel two upcoming shows in Australia due to the flight risks associated with passing through the embattled Middle East.

The US and Israel starting attacking Iran on February 28, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the process. Retaliatory strikes have now spread the violence to a total of 11 countries in the region. Among them are typically safe nations like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose airports collectively account for thousands of layovers each day under ordinary circumstances.

As a result, de Witte must pull out of her March 6 performance at The Hordern Pavilion near Sydney and her March 7 appearance at Pitch Music & Arts Festival near Melbourne. Her tour will resume when she touches down at the Alpe d’Huez ski resort in the French Alps for Tomorrowland Winter.

“Due to the recent escalation of conflict and drone attacks in the Middle East, it is not possible to risk free travel for myself and my crew,” wrote de Witte in an Instagram Story. “This decision was not taken lightly.”

She did, however, offer some recourse for would-be attendees. “We are working to reschedule the Sydney show and finding an alternative show for Melbourne before the end of the year,” de Witte’s statement continued. “All ticket holders will be contacted directly by the event organisers with information regarding refunds or new dates.”

Charlotte de Witte is not the only electronic music act to be affected by the recent flashpoint in Middle Eastern conflict. One of the members of CamelPhat shared on X that while visiting the United Arab Emirates, they heard “several subsonic booms coming from Abu Dhabi direction” later confirmed to be air defense systems intercepting missiles and had to seek cover in a parking garage.

At the time of writing, safety warnings have been issued for a total of 15 Middle Eastern countries: Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, and Cyprus.