China's homegrown large passenger plane C919 makes its maiden flight in Shanghai, east China, May 5, 2017.

China's homegrown large passenger plane, the C919, took to the skies on Friday in the eastern city of Shanghai, marking a great improvement of China's innovative capability and high technology in aviation and aerospace industry.

Departing from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at around 2 pm (0700GMT) with five crew members on board but no passengers, the twin-engine plane signals the country's entry into the global aviation market as a strong competitor.