DIB tightens industry-category policy: hospitality and travel paused; airline FTV capped at 70% (Emirates Airlines exempted)

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has revised its industry-segmentation policy for mortgage applications — pausing approvals for Hotel, Travel and Tourism sector employees; capping FTV at 70% for most airline staff (with Emirates Airlines getting preferential treatment); and raising income thresholds for borrowers in general industries.

Industry Category 1 — PAUSED for Salaried & Self-Employed

DIB has temporarily paused new mortgage approvals for applicants employed in or running businesses across the following sectors:

• Hotel, Resorts, Furnished Apartments, Suites & Timeshare
• Taxi & Rent-a-Car
• Event Management
• Travel, Tourism & Holidays

Impact: if you fall in any of these sectors, your DIB application is currently on hold. Several other UAE banks remain open to these segments — we can quickly map alternatives if needed.

Industry Category 2 — restricted treatment

The following sectors are still served but with tighter underwriting criteria:

• Airline / Aviation
• Real Estate (Developers and Brokers)
• Restaurant / Café
• Shipping, Logistics & Cargo
• Fashion / Apparel
• Jewellery, Precious Metals & Watches

Emirates Airlines staff — preferential treatment

DIB has carved out a more favourable framework specifically for Emirates Airlines employees:

• Flying allowance: considered at 100% of the average over the last 3 months (vs the 50% applied to other airlines).
• Income < AED 25K with salary transfer: max FTV 80%.
• Income < AED 25K without salary transfer: max FTV 70%.
• Income ≥ AED 25K: normal FTV applies.
• Income add-backs: Accommodation (EK opt-out specific), annual allowances and other variable income components can be added to gross income for the affordability calculation.

Other Airline / Aviation entities

• Flying allowance: 50% add-back, based on the last 6-month average.
• FTV cap: 70% regardless of income.
• Rental income: considered at 75% of declared.

All other industries (excluding Categories 1 and 2)

For applicants in any sector outside the two restricted categories above:

• Income < AED 15,000 (including all add-backs): max FTV 70%.
• Income ≥ AED 15,000 (including all add-backs): normal FTV applies (typically up to 80% per UAE Central Bank guidelines).

What this means for buyers

If you work in hospitality, travel, taxi, or event management, DIB is not currently an option — we'd route your application to one of the other banks where these sectors are still serviced.

If you work for Emirates Airlines, DIB has actually become more favourable than several competitors — the 100% flying-allowance treatment plus 80% FTV (with salary transfer) is among the best terms in the market for that segment.

For most other professionals earning AED 15K+, DIB's standard pricing remains available with no impact from this revision. Below AED 15K total income (including allowances), the 70% FTV cap means a higher down-payment requirement — worth comparing against Sharjah Islamic Bank or RAKBANK which have lower minimum-salary thresholds.