Manna drone company pauses all deliveries in Ireland due to planning ‘uncertainty’

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association

A drone company has paused all its delivery operations in Ireland, blaming the planning processes and a lack of infrastructure.

Manna said it would instead focus its growth on the UK, US and other international markets where “regulatory and planning frameworks are advancing and commercial drone delivery is accelerating”.

It said it had received permission to operate in the US and UK, and expects to be authorised in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Founded in 2019, Manna has almost 200 employees in Ireland and has offered drone delivery services in Blanchardstown in Dublin, Moneygall in Co Offaly, and Cork.

The company transports items such as groceries, meals, and pharmacy products.

Its decision also means that expansion at local operational delivery hubs in Ireland will “not proceed at this time”.

“The absence of a clear national policy framework for commercial drone delivery means there is currently no defined pathway for the sector to scale in Ireland,” it said.

“In the absence of such a framework, decisions are assessed locally, creating uncertainty around the planning and infrastructure requirements needed to support commercial drone delivery at scale.

“At the same time, the United States, United Kingdom, China and the UAE are demonstrating rapid regulatory progress and strong commercial momentum.”

The company said Ireland will remain the company’s primary base for research and development, engineering, robotics, regulatory affairs, customer operations and corporate functions.

The company said the move was a “strategic pause rather than a permanent withdrawal” of delivery services from Ireland.

It said that, if a national policy framework is established, it would resume delivery operations and said it “remains ready” to work with the Irish Government, the Irish Aviation Authority and other bodies on the National Drone Framework.

“This is a difficult decision because Ireland is where Manna was founded, built and first proven,” said Bobby Healy, founder and chief executive of Manna.

“We are incredibly grateful to the communities, businesses, customers and employees who helped show that drone delivery can work at scale.

“However, in the absence of a clear national pathway to scale commercial drone delivery, we have to focus our investment in markets where that pathway is now clear.”