It's liftoff! China-built plane takes to the sky

The C919 is in a test gliding at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport on April 23, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The long-awaited China's homegrown passenger plane C919 lifts off on its maiden flight at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Friday.

Around 3,000 people witnessed the historic moment of the twin-engine, single-aisle aircraft's debut.

The C919 project was launched in 2006. Two years later, the C919 maker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) was established in Shanghai, considering the city's technology advantage in aviation industry and the maturity of the market.

Before the flight, the C919 has passed a series of strict tests since rolling off the assembly line in November 2015. To date, COMAC has received 570 orders from 23 clients for the C919.