Heathrow Airport's Operator to Relocate HQ From Oxford to Amsterdam Over Brexit

LONDON (Sputnik) – Ferrovial, the operator of London's Heathrow Airport and owner of 25 percent of its shares, will relocate its international head office from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands’ capital over the UK withdrawal from the European Union, the company said on Tuesday.

The office of Ferrovial is currently located in Oxford. The company also operates the UK airports in the cities of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton.

"The reason for the move is to maintain the group’s international companies under the umbrella of [EU] communities’ legislation," a spokesperson for Spanish-owned company Ferrovial said, commenting on an earlier report in newspaper Expansion.

READ MORE: Brexit Bill Becomes Law, Allowing UK to Leave the EU

The announcement came hours after British lawmakers supported the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.

On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. Last March, UK Prime Minister Theresa May officially invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, launching the process of the country's withdrawal from the bloc.

The Brexit negotiations between London and the European Union started in June and are due to be completed by the end of March 2019.