DRONE delivery firm Manna Air Delivery has said it is pausing services in Ireland, citing a lack of a clear national policy framework for commercial drone delivery.
The company, which was founded in Ireland in 2019 by Irish entrepreneur Bobby Healy, said it will instead focus on other markets including Britain, the US, China and the UAE.
However, the company said Ireland will remain its primary base for research and development, engineering, robotics, regulatory affairs, customer operations and corporate functions.
"Manna remains deeply grateful to its customers, local businesses, employees and communities who helped develop and demonstrate the technology over the past seven years as it became recognised as one of Europe's most innovative startups," it added.
'No defined pathway'
Manna currently employs nearly 200 people — almost entirely in Ireland — across engineering, technology, operations and corporate functions.
Since 2019, it has rolled out drone delivery services in Moneygall, Oranmore, Balbriggan, Blanchardstown and Cork and expanded internationally to Helsinki, Finland and Texas.
Over that period, Manna partnered with over 120 businesses to complete more than 300,000 deliveries.
While retaining its Dublin base, Manna said the suspension of its Irish service would put a freeze on expansion plans and future employment growth at local operational delivery hubs in Ireland.
"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," read a statement.
"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.
"In such circumstances, Manna has concluded that it is necessary to pause its drone delivery operations in Ireland and to undertake a review of the future of those operations.
"At the same time, the United States, United Kingdom, China and the UAE are demonstrating rapid regulatory progress and strong commercial momentum.
"As a result, Manna has increasingly focused its investment, talent and operational resources on markets where large-scale drone delivery is now becoming a commercial reality.
"Manna has already received operational authorisation in both the USA and UK, and anticipates full authorisation to operate in the UAE this year."
Irish future
Manna did not rule out a return to the Irish market, citing its success in the Blanchardstown region, where it completed 90,000 deliveries since launching operations there in February 2024.
It said the figure showed strong community demand for drone delivery services, which could help local businesses thrive.
Manna said it remains ready to work with the Irish Government, the Irish Aviation Authority and other local bodies to help shape the National Drone Framework.
"Manna remains confident that drone delivery can play an important role in Ireland and would welcome the development of an appropriate national policy and planning framework to support the sector's future growth," it said.
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