Drones come to rescue as Covid-19 pins down Irish service sector
by ReutersDUBLIN: Manna Aera, an Irish drone company, has come to the rescue of countless people as the delivery sector is still down in Ireland due to Covid-19.
Manna Aera’s drones are shaping the service sector in these tough times as people are opting for drones to get their essentials delivered. The drones have proved to be a boon, especially to the elderly population of Ireland.
Fidelma Gleeson, a 70-year-old woman, gets her daily essentials and prescription medicines delivered by a drone. “It's absolutely fantastic that it's delivered by a drone. I thought I'd never see the day that it would happen and I wouldn't have to be getting into my car and going into town to collect it”, said Gleeson. “It means an awful lot to me. I'm 70 years of age and I have to get a lot of medicines.”
The drone company Manna Aera had not planned dropping off essentials in this day and age. The original plan behind the drones was to start a food delivery service around Dublin University in March. However, the restrictions due to the pandemic shot down the pilot project and Manna Aera started exploring a whole new domain entirely.
The drone company says that it will continue to deliver on a non-commercial basis and it could deploy drones in 600 Irish towns if the need arises.
Manna Aera could become a saviour and provide jobs to not only the 450 licensed drone pilots in Ireland but also a large number of Ryan Air and Aer Lingus pilots who could lose their jobs because of the badly affected Irish aviation industry.