A study of mobility and passport power rankings has said that a "new Iron Curtain" is affecting the travel freedoms of some passport holders.
The latest Henley Passport Power Index, published six weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has shown a shakeup in the freedoms afforded by some travel
documents.
The Power Index which is compiled by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ranks passports by the number of countries granting holder's visa free entry.
Although easing of covid-related restrictions have increased the power of some passports, new travel sanctions have limited other opportunities.
Singapore and Japan now hold the joint most powerful passports, granting entry to 192 countries each. Germany and South Korea are close behind, tied in joint second with 190 countries open to each.
New Zealand has climbed a place to 6th most powerful, granting visa-free access to 186 countries.
After a fall in the table, previously top ranking passports of US and UK travellers have recovered some ground, at 6th (186) and 5th(187) respectively.
This recovery is a reflection of the speed at which the countries have been dropping pandemic-related travel restrictions.
However, following the invasion of Ukraine the normally stable passports of the European bloc have seen major disruption, says Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners.
While pandemic travel restrictions lift, the Russian passport has stagnated in 50th place, meanwhile "the world opens its doors to Ukrainians".
Ukrainian Passport holders have jumped seven places in the rankings since last year to 34th(143) in the table as an additional 13 countries open their borders without needing to apply in advance for a visa.
The refugee crisis which has seen millions displaced by war in Eastern Europe has seen neighbouring countries open up to Ukrainian passport holders. However, other passports retain relatively little power to open borders.
Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index, with citizens only able to access 26 destinations visa-free.
"It is abundantly clear that the passport you hold determines your fate and dramatically impacts the opportunities you have," says Kaelin.
"While it is impossible to predict what the world will look like in the shadow of a new Cold War, the latest index suggests that the divide between Russia and much of the Western world will only increase."
Notably the Passport Power Index merely measures the ability of passport holders to enter countries, not ease of travel.
While air routes remain reduced by the pandemic and restrictions hit the ability of airlines to operate between the Russian Federation and Europe, travel opportunity is not necessarily the same as theoretical passport power.
In spite of disruption IATA says predicts that demand for international travel will only increase, led by new markets.
Sebastian Mikosz, VP for sustainability at IATA, expects 10 billion passenger journeys in 2050. This is double the pre-pandemic high of 4 billion. Being able to find a sustainable solution for this growth is vital to levelling up unequal access to travel.
"Much of this growth will come from passengers who have never had the opportunity to fly before: in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We owe it to this next generation of flyers to find sustainable solutions, so they can enjoy and benefit from air travel as we have done so far."
PASSPORT RANKINGS Q2 2022
1 Japan (192_
= Singapore
2 Germany (190)
= South Korea
= Finland (189)
3 Italy
= Luxembourg
= Spain
4 Austria (188)
= Denmark
= Netherlands
= Sweden
5 France (187)
= Ireland
= Portugal
= United Kingdom
6 New Zealand (186)
= Belgium
= Norway
= Switzerland
= United States
7 Australia (185)
= Canada
= Czech Republic
= Greece
= Malta
8 Hungary (183)
9 Lithuania (182)
= Poland
= Slovakia
10 Estonia (181)
= Latvia
= Slovenia
