Manna targets 100 million drone deliveries by 2030

MANNA is targeting two million deliveries per year by the end of this year and a total of 100 million by 2030.

The drone delivery company is run by Templeogue native Bobby Healy and discussions with The Irish Times revealed the company’s ambitious goals for the immediate and near future.

Manna Air Delivery recently became available to consumers in the US market after a “strategic pause” of operations on the local shores.

Founded in 2018, Manna has developed aviation-grade drones that deliver everything from takeaways, groceries, coffees and ice creams using a speed of 80kph, delivering within a 2km radius in three minutes and carrying up to 4kg worth of items.

The company has dealt with challenges to get their business off the ground in some parts of the country over the last few years.

Failed attempts to set up delivery bases in Tallaght and Dundrum led to the company to focus their efforts elsewhere – 200 people are employed by Manna in Ireland, and the country is noted to remain as the global headquarters and centre for research and engineering.

Planning permission was refused for a new aerial delivery hub for the drone delivery company at a site by Main Street, Dundrum earlier this year due to an ‘insufficient’ Noise Impact Assessment.

Another application submitted by Partas for a drone delivery hub on the site of Tallaght Enterprise Centre was withdrawn in December.

There are plans to create more than 1,000 jobs in Tulsa, Oklahoma across aviation and flight operations, commercial operations, customer support, manufacturing, maintenance and business functions.