Iona Takes Flight: Drone Deliveries Set to Transform Ireland's Logistics Landscape
French entrepreneur Etienne Louvet's startup Iona is bringing parcel drones to Ireland.
Iona is preparing to launch Ireland’s first commercial drone delivery operations later this year, aiming to radically reshape how packages move across the country. Founded by French entrepreneur Etienne Louvet, the company has already secured nearly €4.5m in investment and is designated as a high potential start-up by Enterprise Ireland.
The idea came from a personal pain point. During Covid, Louvet watched his grandmother struggle to get medicines in rural Brittany. A year later, he founded Iona. Originally based in London, the company relocated its operations hub to Shannon, which is a strategic move driven by Brexit, Ireland’s supportive regulatory environment, and the influence of Manna founder Bobby Healy, who encouraged Louvet to make the leap.
Unlike Manna’s multi-copters that drop packages from the air, Iona’s drones land and deliver from cargo compartments. The company is targeting B2B logistics. Think parcel deliveries between Cork and Shannon in 45 minutes, shopping drops to islands off the South-West, and priority pharma packages. Iona has already partnered with EireComposites in Galway to produce drones locally and is in talks with major carriers including DPD and An Post.
Iona’s Sonnet drone carries packages up to 10kg, with an XL version handling 20kg deliveries. The long-range model is designed for 100-200km routes. The company is building a control tower at Shannon that will serve as the logistics hub for European operations. And unlike consumer-focused drone delivery, Iona is taking a pragmatic approach: multiple deliveries to central pickup points rather than individual backyards, keeping costs down and impact low.
Ireland offers a compelling use case for drone delivery: remote islands, rural areas, and a government drone initiative supporting talent development. Louvet sees this as Europe’s chance to lead globally in the sector, with local production and a complete supply chain that can’t be offshored. “We have a unique opportunity in Europe to re-industrialize,” he said.
The company is currently hiring and expects to grow from five to 15 employees in 2026, depending on how quickly commercial operations scale. With the Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI) as a partner and Shannon as the base, Iona is positioning itself to change not just parcel delivery, but emergency medical supplies, offshore platform logistics, and industrial operations across the region.
Iona aims to sign its first customers and begin operations by the end of 2026. The company is negotiating with partners in the Galway and Shannon area, including offshore wind farms and shipping groups. If successful, Iona could become the infrastructure layer for a new era of logistics, one where drones are as common as delivery vans, and remote areas are no longer at a disadvantage.
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