Fuel cells offer a wide range of potential applications in the field of mobility. In addition to their use in road and rail transportation, fuel cells also represent a promising opportunity to make aviation more environmentally friendly. This presentation highlights the latest R&D results from publicly funded research projects carried out by Fraunhofer IPT, offering insights into current trends in the aviation industry and the challenges fuel cells face in this sector. Using simulations, prototyping, and functional testing of metallic bipolar plates (BPP) as examples, we demonstrate how scalability, performance, and overall product quality can be optimized.