MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s Civil Guard will handle security controls at Barcelona’s airport from Monday to limit disruptions from a planned strike by security staff, the Spanish government said on Friday.

The deployment seeks to avert delays and long queues at Barcelona’s El Prat airport for holidaymakers arriving in record numbers to Spain this year.

Barcelona El Prat, the second busiest airport in Spain after Madrid’s Barajas, is a major hub for international airlines and a destination for tourists visiting Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast.

Employees of airport security company Eulen have held a series of short stoppages since early August to demand better working conditions and more staff. They plan an indefinite strike from Monday if no deal is reached.

In recent days, queues to get through to departure lounges have stretched to over an hour in some parts of the airport and dozens of travelers have missed flights.