LOS ANGELES — Airbus China has promoted Eric Chen to president, where he will lead the management team of the subsidiary of European commercial transport builder Airbus SAS.

Chen, who served as Airbus China’s senior vice president of commercial and external affairs since 2008, succeeds Laurence Barron, who has been named chairman and chief executive officer of EADS China, the Chinese subsidiary of Airbus parent company European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV.

Airbus China also named Rafael Gonzalez-Ripoll-Garzon chief operating officer. He previously was head of Toulouse, France-based Airbus’ empennage and aft fuselage facility in Spain.

Chen joined Airbus in 1994 and was named vice president of sales at Airbus China in 2001.

Airbus said that its role in China has grown to about 50 percent of the country’s fleet of airliners over 100 seats from 6 percent in 1994.