Manna Drone Delivery set to trial flights in Finland

MANNA Drone Delivery is set to start a trial in Finland which will involve the European delivery firm Wolt.

According to the company, field tests are due to begin in Espoo, on the outskirts of Helsinki, aiming to test the feasibility of drone deliveries in cold and harsh winter conditions.

Led by Rathfarnham entrepreneur Bobby Healy, Manna has been operating out of Blanchardstown, and wants to have between 10 and 15 drone delivery bases along the M50 corridor in Dublin.

The Echo reported recently that Partas are seeking planning permission for a drone food delivery hub in Tallaght.

If approved, it would be operated by Manna Drone Delivery from the Partas run site at Tallaght Enterprise Centre, Main Road.

The Finland move follows a series of trials in Ireland by Manna, most recently in Blanchardstown.

Healy says his company is the “first licensed European drone delivery company and already delivering groceries, coffees etc, to households.”

The Echo understands the Finland trials will involve deliveries that will be field-tested but not yet used for commercial purposes.

Manna said it has completed deliveries to over 150,000 households in Ireland and the US.

Doing approximately 400 to 500 deliveries a week in Dublin, with coffee deliveries among their most popular orders.

Manna’s Finnish trial comes as Amazon begins a drone delivery trial in the UK from its base in Darlington.