What CIRCULAIRITY LTD does

CirculAIRity Ltd is a UK-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer founded in 2021 in Bristol and originally incorporated as Net Zero Aviation Fuels before rebranding in early 2023. The company develops and intends to produce 3rd Generation synthetic SAF, also termed PtL or eFuel, via Direct Air Capture (DAC) of atmospheric CO2 combined with hydrogen derived from water electrolysis using renewable electricity. The product is designed as a drop-in fuel requiring no modification to aircraft engines, fuel distribution infrastructure, or the global fleet, and avoids the feedstock-crop and land-use concerns associated with first-generation bio-SAF pathways.

The company's revenue model centres on selling synthetic jet fuel directly to aviation-sector customers — airlines, airports, and defence organisations — through a sales-led B2B motion supplemented by event-driven engagement at forums such as the UK Ministry of Defence Aviation Fuel Committee, the House of Commons, and Farnborough International Airshow. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the UK SAF Mandate sets an indicative synthetic SAF price of approximately £5/litre. The company holds a Letter of Intent with Rolls-Royce (March 2025), an MOU with Cranfield University (July 2024), and an Innovate UK partnership, and is led by a team including CEO and founder Alex Chikhani (former RAF Senior UK Fuels Officer), Chair Dame Sue Gray (former Air Marshal and Britain's first female three-star officer), plus senior officers covering commercial, operations, finance, science, and marketing functions.

Name

CIRCULAIRITY LTD

Legal name

CirculAIRity Ltd

Website

https://circulairity.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CirculAIRity Ltd is a Bristol-based, pre-revenue UK company developing 3rd Generation Sustainable Aviation Fuel via Direct Air Capture of CO2, targeting drop-in fuel sales to airlines, airports, and defence organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

NAICS

Petroleum Refineries (32411), Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (3241)

akta.pro primary industry

CO₂‑Derived Synthetic Fuels for Aviation & Marine (SAF e‑fuels, e‑ammonia/e‑methanol bunkering pathways) (EUABAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) & Alternative Fuels (e-fuels, biofuels, hydrogen) (THABANAA)

Keywords

• Sustainable aviation fuel
• Direct air capture
• Synthetic jet fuel
• Power-to-liquid eFuel
• Carbon capture technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Production and Sales: CirculAIRity generates revenue through the production and sale of synthetic SAF derived from Direct Air Capture of CO2. As a manufacturer of jet fuel, the company operates on a product sales model targeting aviation sector customers including airlines, airports, and defence organisations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CirculAIRity produces synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) derived from the Direct Air Capture (CO2) combined with green hydrogen (from water electrolysis using renewable power). The fuel is a drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel requiring no engine, aircraft, or fuel infrastructure modifications, and is positioned as a 3rd Generation SAF (PtL/eFuel) pathway targeting airlines, airports, and defence organisations.

Product overview

CirculAIRity LTD operates as a sustainable aviation fuel producer offering a single core product: synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) produced through Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. The company produces 3rd Generation SAF (also called PtL/eFuel) which is manufactured at scale using CO2 captured directly from the atmosphere combined with renewable hydrogen. This SAF product serves as a direct drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel, requiring no modifications to existing aircraft, engines, or fuel distribution infrastructure. The company's modular production approach enables flexible and scalable deployment of fuel production facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Net-zero synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) produced by Direct Air Capture of atmospheric CO2 combined with green hydrogen from water electrolysis. The fuel is a drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel requiring no modifications to aircraft engines, fleet, or fuel distribution infrastructure. It is targeted at airlines, airports, and defence organisations seeking to meet UK, EU, and USA SAF mandates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel is produced using renewable power sources and direct air capture of CO2 and water vapour, resulting in net-zero emissions — CO2 levels from aviation do not increase
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rolls-RoycecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2025Rolls-Royce and CirculAIRity signed a letter of intent and will be working together on their joint commitment to energy transition. This partnership signals Rolls-Royce's interest in synthetic SAF for use in aircraft engines.
• Cranfield UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024CirculAIRity and Cranfield University signed a Memorandum of Understanding forming the basis for the two organisations to work together on multiple projects. CEO Alex Chikhani holds an MBA from Cranfield University and the company collaborates with the university on research and development activities related to sustainable aviation fuel.
• SimpliFlyingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCirculAIRity rebranded with the assistance of SimpliFlying in early 2023, transforming from Net Zero Aviation Fuels to CirculAIRity. SimpliFlying is the world's leading aviation strategy firm. Non-Executive Director Shashank Nigam is the Founder of SimpliFlying.
• UK Ministry of DefencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Alex Chikhani addressed the UK Ministry of Defence Aviation Fuel Committee, organised by the OEA and the Energy Institute in Manchester. CirculAIRity is working with the Defence community as part of its stakeholder engagement strategy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• LanzaJet: LanzaJet produces SAF via Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) pathway from ethanol and has commercial-scale partnerships with airlines including British Airways. It is a 2nd Generation SAF producer competing for the same aviation customers but using a different (biomass-based) feedstock pathway.
• Twelve (formerly Opus 12): Twelve converts captured CO2 into chemicals and fuels including e-jet fuel using catalyst technology. Both companies share the CO2-to-fuel value proposition, though Twelve focuses more on chemicals and lighter e-fuels while CirculAIRity focuses specifically on aviation jet fuel.
• Caphenia: Caphenia produces PtL synthetic fuels from CO2 and green hydrogen using a Fischer-Tropsch pathway, with aviation kerosene as a target product. It is a smaller-scale European eFuel peer with directly overlapping technology approach and target markets.

Direct peers

• Infinium: Infinium produces eFuels (including e-SAF, e-diesel, e-naphtha) from captured CO2 and renewable power. Both companies pursue the CO2-to-synthetic-fuel pathway targeting aviation and transport customers, with overlapping technology stacks and customer profiles.
• Prometheus Fuels: Prometheus Fuels produces synthetic fuels (including SAF) from Direct Air Capture of CO2, using a very similar DAC + eFuel pathway to CirculAIRity. Both target drop-in replacement jet fuel for aviation customers and represent the most directly comparable 3rd Generation SAF producers in the market.
• 1PointFive (Occidental): 1PointFive is Occidental's Direct Air Capture subsidiary building STRATOS, one of the world's largest DAC facilities, and has announced partnerships to produce eFuels (including SAF). Both pursue DAC-derived synthetic fuels for aviation, though 1PointFive operates at substantially larger scale and capital intensity.
• HIF Global: HIF Global is a leading eFuels producer using captured CO2 and green hydrogen to manufacture synthetic fuels including e-kerosene for aviation. Both companies target the same Power-to-Liquid/eFuel pathway for aviation decarbonisation with similar drop-in product positioning.
• Synhelion: Synhelion produces synthetic fuels (including solar jet fuel) from solar-driven processes that capture CO2 and water to produce drop-in kerosene. Both companies target the same drop-in synthetic SAF market for aviation using CO2-derived pathways.

Broad incumbents

• Neste: Neste is the world's largest SAF producer today via its HEFA pathway, with major offtake relationships with airlines globally. It competes with CirculAIRity for aviation SAF demand but uses an established, scaled, and lower-cost bio-based pathway rather than DAC.
• Carbon Engineering (Occidental subsidiary): Carbon Engineering pioneered large-scale Direct Air Capture technology and is now a subsidiary of Occidental, integrated with 1PointFive. It supplies the DAC infrastructure underlying much of the synthetic eFuel supply chain, making it both a potential technology partner and a competitive supplier to CirculAIRity's value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circulairity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CIRCULAIRITY LTD