Coffee with our neighbour Zaid from Diegem-Lo

Aircraft, family and sheep, the three passions of Zaid

Zaid grew up in Diegem-Lo, a small village right next to Brussels Airport, where planes take off and land above his head every day, but above all a place where he feels at home.

‘Some people ask me, “How does it feel to live next to the airport?”. For me, it's just like living anywhere else, you get used to it.’

What's more, the airport is also his workplace. As a student, he works at DHL as a loader sorter or ramp handler on the tarmac. ‘It can be tough sometimes,’ he says, ‘but you’re right in the middle of the action. Every day is different.’

His fascination with the airport started very early on: ‘I was already watching planes as a child. Every time I saw one take off, I immediately thought of holidays. I imagined what it was like for the people on board.’

Now that he works at the airport himself, that interest has only grown.

He recognises the different types of aircraft and observes how spotters and come to the spotting platforms to capture the very same thing. ‘I like that so many people come to watch and take photos. It's very familiar to me because I grew up with it.’

Zaid is not the only one with a connection to Brussels Airport: his whole family lives and breathes the airport. ‘We all work at DHL,’ he says proudly. ‘My father, my uncles and now me too, as a student.’

Living in Diegem-Lo

Zaid's home is in a cosy corner of Diegem-Lo. ‘That's where my grandmother lives,’ he points. "We are planning to move to a bigger house, because there we’re a big family. We will stay in Diegem-Lo though, just a few houses further down the road. If my grandmother ever needs help, there is enough room to take her in.‘

Living next to the airport also has practical advantages for Zaid. ’There are buses to Mechelen and Leuven, and the train stops right under the airport. The Brussels ring road is nearby. In fact, we are connected to the whole of Belgium here, which is a big plus."

But in addition to this international dynamism, there is also the warmth of a close-knit neighbourhood. Diegem-Lo is a special place. It is not a traditional village. Surrounded by the Brussels ring road and the airport, there has been a decades-long struggle to preserve its village character.

Zaid's family lives in different houses on the same street, often in homes that were once in danger of falling into disrepair but were given a new lease of life thanks to families like theirs. His grandparents bought a house there in the 1980s, when many properties were vacant. Together with other families, they ensured that Diegem-Lo did not fall into decline but remained a vibrant community.

‘Thanks to people like Zaid's family, this place has actually been saved,’ says Rik Haegebaert, chairman of the local neighbourhood committee. ‘With limited resources, we renovated houses, stopped property developers and ensured that this village continued to exist.’

As Zaid puts it: ‘I can't imagine living anywhere else than Diegem-Lo. I would never want to leave here.’

Love for sheep

In addition to his love for aircraft and his family, Zaid has a third passion: animals, especially sheep. That love began in his childhood, during holidays in Morocco.

‘I always went to my parents' cousins' farm. They had cows and sheep. As a child, that’s where you would always find me. I even preferred to sleep among the animals.’

That early curiosity grew into a lasting passion. Now you can find Zaid in a pasture in the heart of Diegem-Lo among his own sheep. ‘I had always been involved with animals. Until one day I found two sheep in the garden. They were a gift from a family friend.’

‘Our neighbour used to have goats and a donkey here,’ Zaid continues. ‘As he got older, it became difficult for him to maintain everything. When the land became available, I took the initiative to put animals on it myself. I've been doing this since I was ten, so for ten years now.’

From the bus, on his way to school in Leuven, he often saw sheep grazing on the noise barrier in Steenokkerzeel, near the airport.

‘I think that's great. It's an ecological way to mow the grass. Sheep do what they do best, they get food and the shepherd is also happy to have an extra place for his sheep. It is my dream to have my sheep graze on the airport's noise barrier one day. Right in my own neighbourhood.’