A flight from RUSSIA and 48 hours in the queue: fans get their hands on iPad Air

Dozens of Apple fans camped on the streets of London for up to 48 hours in order to be the first in Britain to get their hands on the new iPad Air.

First in the queue at the Covent Garden store was Constantin Zabrotskiy, 29, from Moscow, who flew in from Russia on Wednesday and was flying back at 1pm today after spending £399 on the device.

He said: “I’ve been queuing for days but didn’t find it too cold — it’s worth it for my new iPad.”

George Soloviev, 21, also flew in from Moscow to bag the tablet. He said: “I got here at 4pm yesterday and slept overnight in my sleeping bag, and I fly back tomorrow. Everything electronic I own is Apple. I’m really into mixing music and the iPad is great for that sort of thing.”

Richard Parkes, 18, from Brentwood, joined the queue at 5am yesterday and admitted the Air was his sixth iPad. He said: “Every time a new edition comes out I sell the last one and get the new one straight away. I’ve queued up for the new Apple launch for the last two years and have all the Apple products — they’re sleek, elegant and the most simple technology you can get these days. They’re the thing everyone wants.”

Anna Bagui, 25, from St Petersburg, said: “I’ve been queueing for two hours. I love Apple products; they’re just the best. I’m an artist and have also just started a tech businesses so I want all the latest devices for myself so I can run all the latest applications.”

Apple will launch a mini version of the new iPad this month, which will doubtless lead to more queues.