Budapest - The management of Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport were hoping for less disruption on Thursday as airport workers went on strike for a second day.

"The unions will go ahead with the strike and reject the employer's ultimatum that the resumption of negotiations is conditional on us calling off the strike," said Zoltan Kovacs, strike leader and head of one of the two main unions representing workers at the airport, on Thursday morning.

As on the first day of the strike, security gates were only open on Thursday at one of the airport's three passenger terminals, to which travellers were redirected. Despite long queues and a number of passengers having slept overnight at the airport, local news agency MTI reported relative calm at the terminal in the morning.

"The situation has improved compared to yesterday morning, and sufficient shift workers have taken up their posts that security gates three to five at Terminal 2B can be operated until the afternoon," said Domokos Szollar, spokesman for airport operator Budapest Airport, on Thursday morning.

The airport spokesman added that no delayed take offs are expected on Thursday morning. The national carrier Malev has cancelled a number of flights, but these decisions were taken yesterday, Szollar noted.

Budapest airport descended into chaos on Wednesday morning when security workers came out on strike, preventing passengers from moving through to the boarding gates. Almost 50 flights were cancelled - a fifth of Wednesday's schedule, while most others were subject to lengthy delays.

Workers are unhappy with management proposals for changes to working conditions, and are demanding reassurances that there will be no redundancies before 2010. An indefinite strike was called after talks between management and airport workers' unions broke down on Tuesday afternoon. (dpa)