Security staff strike poses queue chaos at Barcelona airport

Security workers checking carry-on luggage at Barcelona's airport have begun partial strikes, threatening more queuing chaos for passengers at one of Europe's most popular airports.

The periodic hour-long stoppages began Friday and were to continue Sunday and Monday, one of Spain's peak summer holiday weekends.

The stoppages were called after talks failed to end the dispute with the private company Eulen, which runs the service at El Prat airport.

Spain's airport authority AENA said that during the first strike hour, passengers had to queue for some 40 minutes to get through the security filter but that this dropped to 20 minutes when the stoppage ended.

Passengers flying from Barcelona have been suffering major delays to reach the boarding area in recent weeks because of the dispute.