Travel disruption has been blamed on people wanting to work at home and make "easy money" by an airline boss.
On Monday the head of Qatar Airways criticised the "epidemic" of home working and said it had contributed to staff shortages that are being widely blamed for travel disruption in Europe this summer.
The aviation sector is struggling to secure staff needed to cope with a post-pandemic surge in air travel, prompting London's Heathrow Airport to impose curbs on capacity to avoid delays.
Baggage handling teams across the country have been struggling to keep up with demand, leading to huge backlogs at airports and customers unable to get hold of their bags.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker was asked about Heathrow Airport's problems, where he is on the board of directors, at the Farnborough Airshow, reports Reuters.
He said: "We face the same problem in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
"So it is actually an epidemic in our industry. This all happened because people learned to get easy money from working out of their homes, and fewer people now want to come and do the jobs that they were doing.
"This has all brought a huge impact on airports, right across Europe, and of course Heathrow is is one of the larger hubs in Europe."
Unions in Britain have accused airlines and airports of using the opportunity of the pandemic to cut jobs and pay.
Airlines and airports meanwhile accuse each other of failing to prepare adequately for a post-pandemic surge in travel demand.
According to recent data, there are 400,000 fewer workers in Britain than at the start of the pandemic.
Airport is often gruelling and low paid, with baggage handling shifts often beginning in the small hours of the morning and paying £9 or £10 an hour.
The return of European workers to their home countries following the UK's departure from the European Union has contributed to the shortage of workers.
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