Manna Drone Delivery, an Ireland-based drone delivery company, has applied to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) for drone operator approval following its recent drone delivery trials in rural Ireland. Its application is now being reviewed by the authority in line with EU regulatory requirements.

The certificate, “Light UAS Operator Certificate” (LUC), available under EU drone regulations since December 2020, is recognized across all EU member countries. Accordingly, Manna became the first Irish company to apply for the license.

The IAA has welcomed the application stating drone delivery is an efficient and environmentally friendly method to conduct deliveries, especially food and medicine, to rural and isolated areas.

Manna provides drone delivery as a service to restaurant chains, cloud kitchens, and online food delivery platforms.​ In October 2020, Manna partnered with Camile Thai restaurant to deliver its meals in Ireland in 2021. In September 2020, Tesco partnered with Manna to conduct six-month trial home deliveries to its customers from its Oranmore store in Co Galway, Ireland. Additionally, the company was named Startup of the Year at Ireland’s National Startup Awards in December 2020.