When Irish drone startup Manna Drone Delivery first captured international headlines, it was making history delivering hot coffee, fresh bread and groceries in Europe. But these days, it has no current plans to expand across Europe.
Instead, Manna relocated its CEO, Bobby Healy, to Oklahoma. That’s where you’ll find Manna’s new headquarters, and it’s where the company has ambitious expansion plans including hiring 1,000 people over the next three years.
Healy says the transatlantic moves comes down to a fundamental inflection point in American aviation policy and commercial market readiness.
“We knew over a year ago… it was very clear that the U.S. means business here and aims to be a leader,” Healy said in an interview with The Drone Girl. “That was the time — that’s why I moved to Tulsa. That’s why our manufacturing is in Tulsa now. That’s why we’ve basically paused everything in Europe, because we believe that USA operations are firmly open now.”
By many metrics, European aviation regulators have been ahead of the curve for years. But industry players including Healy — who has long been bullish on the U.S. — believes the United States has rapidly taken the global lead in drones.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to finalize 14 CFR Part 108, which is the long-awaited regulatory framework for routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. The proposed rule to enable routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations was released in August 2025, and then went to a public comment period (which got a mix of opinions) before going back to policymakers.
Navigating BVLOS rules in the U.S. under Part 107 historically required case-by-case waivers, making for a slow, uncertain process.
“The regulations in Europe are and have been excellent and ahead of the United States,” Healy said. “Now Part 108 not just catches up, but I would say now overtakes Europe. It’s not just regulations — it’s the supremacy over local laws and differences from state to state or city to city.”
Part 108 is expected to federalize airspace governance across all 50 states. That should make compliance simpler for drone companies. And it should also give institutional investors the regulatory certainty they need to feel confident pouring more capital into drones.
“What 108 brings is really, in one go, the ability for the entire market to open up,” Healy said.
Manufacturing in the U.S., too
Besides bringing its expertise to the U.S., Manna is building a “Made in USA” manufacturing ecosystem. A good chunk of the 1,000 jobs Manna is promising in Oklahoma aren’t just operations, but also manufacturing. Its first batch of American-made aircraft is already in production.
Just weeks after opening its initial U.S. site, Manna accelerated its rollout by launching three additional operational bases in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Manna says its Tulsa bases are capable of 24 deliveries per hour, executed via an overhead tether drop system (similar to other designs like Wing’s delivery drones).
With nearly 400,000 commercial delivery flights under its belt, Manna brings one of the deepest operating track records in the industry to American soil.
What do you think of Manna’s decision to pause European operations and go all-in on U.S. manufacturing? Let me know in the comments below!
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