Autonomous drone delivery services are scaling up their fleets for operations even as some potential customers are trying to keep the drones grounded over noise concerns.

Walmart, for example, last week said it is adding 300 drone delivery sites across the U.S. in partnership with Zipline, a major supplier of drones. At the same time, residents of Westborough, MA, shot down Amazon Prime Air’s plan for drone deliveries. The two developments suggest a growing conflict at a moment when public distrust of Big Tech is increasing.

Amazon’s drone operation, slated to run out of a converted parking lot, would have provided service across a wide area of towns in central Massachusetts, with plans for up to 1,000 flights per day. Amazon’s electric MK30 drones were to be used to deliver packages weighing up to five pounds. Safety concerns fly alongside the MK30, as it weighs 80 pounds, posing the prospect of significant damage should it crash. By comparison, the largest model flown by Wing, another drone operator, weighs less than 25 pounds.

Walmart is typical of the rosy spin retailers put on drone delivery. “We see customers try drone delivery for the novelty and then continue to come back to it for the convenience when they need something in minutes,” said Greg Cathey, Walmart’s SVP of e-commerce fulfillment transformation, as quoted by Progressive Grocer.

On the ground, it’s a different story. In Westborough, MA, the vote wasn’t even close as townfolk approved a drone bylaw in a 510-13 vote. Amazon subsequently withdrew its application for operations.

Media reports from across the U.S. are documenting increased resistance to drone delivery services. For example, Amazon Prime Air opened a drone delivery service in Richardson, Texas, in December of last year. Some residents now complain of a “beehive” of drones flying over their homes throughout the day. Air traffic in some neighborhoods is so high they’re called “drone highways.” City regulations allow drone deliveries to start at 7 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. Similar complaints have arisen in cities like Baton Rouge, LA, an early location for Amazon’s drone delivery operations. Amazon eventually rerouted most of its drone flights to help counter noise complaints.

Drone operators like Zipline are trying to keep noise levels down by using what the company calls “sound-optimized dynamic flying” software that lets each drone pick the quietest route in real time based on wind, speed and altitude, allowing the drones to glide at times. Zipline says its recent upgrades have reduced peak noise levels by 24 percent compared with its 2025 fleet, based on internal modeling. Unlike most models, Zipline’s drones have wings that let them fly like small planes, and the company uses a tethered droid to deliver goods to the ground. Zipline has raised $1.5 billion to expand operations. Among Zipline’s bright-spot operations are agreements with several medical facilities in Africa for autonomous delivery of drugs to patients.

Other countries are less welcoming. In June, drone delivery operator Manna suspended its operations in Ireland amid planning disputes and noise and privacy complaints. At the local level, Irish politicians alleged some drone operators effectively privatized public airspace. In the U.S., who owns air rights above a homeowner’s house is legally a murky area.

Even when denied zoning permits, drone operators continue to say public acceptance is overwhelmingly positive. While such public relations spin is inevitable, drone operators may be misjudging the tenor of the times as public sentiment mounts against Big Tech in general, fueled by mounting high-profile opposition to AI data centers. Whether drone delivery landing pads become a feature of American backyards remains to be seen, but success may depend on a drone’s ability to fly quietly.