Concern over ‘constant buzzing above gardens and homes’
18:15, 22 Feb 2026Updated 19:47, 22 Feb 2026
Delivery drone test over Cork city
The first test flights of delivery drones – set to carry shopping and takeaways through our skies – have been spotted over Cork city homes.
A week on from the introduction of controversial restrictions for hobbyist drone operators in Cork city, ‘test flights’ of commercial delivery drones have begun, with full service expected to start within weeks. It’s understood that Manna Air Delivery intended to launch test flights this weekend in the South East Ward (which includes Mahon, Blackrock, Douglas and Rochestown areas) – and a video sent to CorkBeo today shows just that.
The first test drops are understood to be ‘goodie bag’ deliveries for select customers. Manna, which operates an air delivery service in Dublin – including the option to have certain JustEat takeaways delivered by drone – is hoping to get on good footing with Cork customers after controversy surrounding air space restrictions in the city.
Cllr Peter Horgan, South-East Ward, shared a clip recorded from the garden of a constituent in the Blackrock area, showing a drone buzzing overhead. The Labour councillor expressed “significant concern” about the potential impact of regular delivery flights on residents in the months ahead.
Cllr Horgan, chair of the City’s Transport Committee, added: “The issue is not the company operating. It is the idea that we must subject residents to this invasion of their home areas, with constant buzzing above gardens and homes.
“I would have expected at the very least that adhering to the road network route would be undertaken rather than straight as the crow flies approach. That impacts people even in this weather – so imagine the impact when the fine weather returns. We have requested the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to come into the Transport Committee for April and I certainly hope they agree. The whole approach to this new set up leaves a lot to be desired.”
A Manna spokesperson responded to Cllr Horgan’s comments, telling CorkBeo: “On privacy, Manna operates in full compliance with GDPR. A small downward-facing camera, with lower resolution than Google Maps imagery, activates only at the final stage of delivery as a safety mechanism for obstacle detection. It does not record, store or transmit imagery at any time, ensuring residents’ privacy is protected. Further information is available on our Community pages and in our local information leaflets.
“In terms of sound, independent acoustic experts measured our aircraft at 56 dBA. This is comparable to a quiet urban street or a normal conversation. Environmental assessments were also conducted in advance of our test flights.”
The introduction of delivery drones to Cork got off to a bad start when the Irish Aviation Authority announced airspace restrictions over the city the would essentially make Cork skies a ‘no drone zone‘ except for Manna vehicles. However it is now understood that these strict regulations will be rowed back. Cork City Councillors have expressed their concerns on how the IAA communicated the new regulations.
Earlier this month, it emerged that strict air space restrictions for drones would mean drone pilots would not be able to operate without explicit permission from Cork Air Traffic Control and a two-day notice period. It’s understood that the air restrictions were to be put in place to enable safe operation of delivery drones after Manna requested permission to operate their air delivery services in Cork.
Local councillors who strongly opposed it included Labour’s Peter Horgan and Green Party Councillor Oliver Moran, who said that the IAA were prioritising one commercial operator over all other drone users in the city – not only affecting hobbyists, but having a significant practical, administrative, and financial burden for local companies using drones for surveying, photography, and other services.
Now, CorkBeo understands the two-day notice will be rescinded – and a ‘work around’ will be put to facilitate hobby drone users and other drone flights that keep within existing regulations. It’s understood that Manna and the IAA have listened to the concerns of representatives and drone users – and less draconian restrictions are due to be announced.
Want to see more of the biggest and breaking stories from Cork Beo? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Cork Beo as a preferred source, simply click here .