Carbon nanotubes have excellent mechanical properties, but also have high conductivity, high thermal conductivity, flame retardancy and other functional advantages, which are expected to be widely used in many functional directions in the aviation field. In this paper, according to the application requirements of carbon nanotubes in various functional directions in aviation field, the research progress of carbon nanotubes in conductive structures and electromagnetic shielding, in the structural health monitoring of composite materials for aviation, in the electric heating curing of composite materials, in the electric deicing of aircraft wings, and in flame retardant composites are reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of carbon nanotubes in various functional applications are analyzed. The results show that carbon nanotubes and their macrostructures have great potential in various functional applications, but they still need large-scale, low-cost preparation technology, high-quality stability control technology as a strong support for their functional applications.