From Hospital Supplies to Grocery Deliveries: Finnish-Irish Research Collaboration Explores Drone Logistics Potential

In an era where timely deliveries are anticipated, whether it’s for crucial medicines or last-minute groceries, the sky is now a viable frontier. In 2025, a distinctive research partnership between Finland and Ireland is expanding the possibilities of drone capabilities, offering not only speed but reliability, safety, and environmentally friendly solutions for the ‘last mile’ in logistics.

Drone Deliveries: From Sci-Fi to Everyday Reality

Think of iconic scenes from Blade Runner or Wall-E with drones navigating futuristic cities. This vision is becoming a reality. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, one of Europe’s top research bodies, is teaming up with Manna Air Delivery, a leading drone logistics company boasting over 200,000 commercial flights, to make drone delivery a practical element of city life.

While it’s not about trendy pizza delivery alone, think delivering vital hospital supplies, medications, lab samples, everyday groceries, and essential spare parts for urgent repairs. As VTT’s specialists describe it, “The aim is to make city services more accessible to residents, potentially right at their doorstep. Simplified and faster logistics open opportunities for entirely new business models.”

Why Finland and Ireland?

What makes Finland and Ireland suitable pioneers in this domain?

• Finland brings expertise in designing drones for harsh weather, robust airspace management, and tech advancements through institutions like VTT. They test drones in extreme conditions to ensure they perform under snow, sleet, and icy winds.
• Ireland offers operational know-how, backed by Manna Air Delivery’s real-world experience. Manna has facilitated drone deliveries for groceries and essentials in numerous countries, including scalable trials in urban Espoo, Finland.

This ‘north meets west’ partnership is about merging rigorous research with effective, scalable execution.

Key Focus: Safe, Scalable, Sustainable Drone Ecosystem

The discourse around drones frequently revolves around safety, scalability, and sustainability.

Safety

Delivering packages through urban airspace poses clear safety challenges. It’s vital that airspace remains secure for all – including piloted aircraft, hobby drones, and commercial fleets. This demands advanced airspace management, reliable navigation, and real-time tracking, especially critical in dense urban areas. VTT is at the forefront of such innovations, offering large-scale testing environments like the LIFT Future Aerospace Centre at Helsinki-East Aerodrome, making Finnish skies among the safest and smartest in Europe.

Scalability

While small tests are straightforward, incorporating drones into daily urban logistics is more complex. This Finnish-Irish project isn’t just about singular demonstration flights. The 2025 Finnish Housing Fair will host a pilot project aiming for high-volume, integrated operations, delivering everything from sushi to medical devices, potentially replacing slower delivery vans and bikes.

Sustainability

Drones, being electric by nature, are suited for short journeys, providing a lower carbon footprint compared to cars or vans, especially for urgent deliveries. They also ease inner-city traffic congestion, benefiting the environment and local commerce.

Real-World Deployments: Imagine This

Consider residing in Espoo, Finland. As you recover from an illness, your doctor prescribes medication and requests a blood test. Instead of waiting for a courier to navigate traffic, a drone, guided by cutting-edge routing, brings your necessities from the local pharmacy within minutes, efficiently bypassing terrestrial challenges.

Alternatively, imagine a suburban small business competing with retail giants. With drone services, offering customers quick delivery becomes a reality, boosting local economic prospects.

Finnish Housing Fair 2025: A Major Test for Urban Drone Logistics

The 2025 Finnish Housing Fair will act as a live test bed for urban drone logistics, showcasing how aerial delivery can complement and even surpass traditional methods, especially in suburban areas where congestion is an issue. This event entails:

• Drones delivering essentials like groceries and medicines to participants and locals.
• Generating tangible data on operational safety, resident acceptance, and environmental impact.

Emerging Business Models and Community Benefits

It’s not merely about speed; delivery drones could empower small businesses in city centers to expand their reach significantly. Imagine a scenario where:

• Smaller retailers offer rapid delivery for urban clients, rivaling major e-commerce operators.
• Hospitals send critical samples and medications swiftly between locations, enhancing patient care.
• Individuals with limited mobility or those in remote areas access vital goods and services more readily.

Such innovations have the potential to not only reshape logistics but also transform urban living itself.

The Human Side: A Team-Driven Mission

This initiative distinguishes itself through the dedication of its teams:

• At VTT, drone technologists with decades of aerospace testing and logistics optimization experience lead efforts, ensuring community and policy input is integrated.
• Manna Air Delivery boasts a team with real-world delivery and aviation backgrounds, focusing on practical solutions to meet the people’s needs, not just theoretical interests.

The shared vision: To enhance the skies’ safety, cleanliness, and utility without needing flying cars—yet.

Expert Insights: Why Now?

Urban air mobility is expanding, with Europe spearheading developments. Dublin, for example, will host Aerial Cities 2025, a premier urban air mobility and drone policy event, highlighting increased collaboration, regulation, and innovation in this field.

Challenges & Gaps: More than Blue Skies

Clear skies don’t imply smooth sailing:

• Regulations are evolving but complex, needing to balance privacy, safety, and environmental standards without stifling business growth.
• Weather and geography: Harsh winters and varied terrains present challenges but also opportunities for tech improvements.
• Public perception: While drones are fascinating, concerns about noise, privacy, and air traffic need addressing. Transparent dialogue and community feedback are integral to the Finnish-Irish strategy.

The Stats & The Future: Sky’s the Limit

Did you realize Manna Air Delivery has already executed over 200,000 drone flights globally? Or that Finland is evolving as a winter “testing ground