This was published 1 year ago
World's tallest woman takes her first flight after Turkish Airlines removes seats to fit her in
By Katherine Scott
Rumeysa Gelgi stands at 215 centimetres.Credit: Turkish Airlines
The world's tallest woman has described her first flight as "flawless", made possible due to the airline removing six seats.
On September 28, Turkish Airlines flew 25-year-old Rumeysa Gelgi, who stands at 215 centimetres, from Istanbul to San Francisco on flight TK-79, marking the Guinness World Record-holder's first time in the air.
Gelgi, whose height is due to a rare genetic bone condition called Weaver syndrome, praised the airline on Instagram following the successful 13-hour service, and thanked the airline staff and medical team who helped to make it happen.
"A flawless journey from start to finish with @turkishairlines," the English translation of the post begins. "I didn't get the chance to know the names of many people who helped me with their kindness and dedication for 13 hours in the air for 19 hours in total and organised a 'first flight' celebration above the clouds."
Gelgi concludes: "This was my first plane ride but it certainly won't be my last. From now on it will be a great honour and pleasure to fly to different parts of the world with @turkishairlines."
Photos from the historic flight show her onboard, lying across a stretcher where several seats have been removed to accommodate her longer stature. In the series of pictures, Gelgi was treated to a celebratory cake to mark the occasion.
Credit: Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines told Traveller that Gelgi's condition did require some unique measures.
"A stretcher was installed in the plane for our passenger, who could not travel by sitting for a long time due to scoliosis, and with the special support of our ground handling team, our passenger was taken to the plane and made her journey on a stretcher," Turkish Airlines said.
"In addition, a surprise cake was served to our passenger and her family by our cabin crew and special support was provided during their travels."
Credit: Instagram/@rumeysagelgi
The disability advocate and public speaker, who has an Instagram following of more than 36,000, is travelling to the United States for six months to work with Guinness World Records.
Gelgi has held world record titles since her teen years. In addition to her recognition as the world's tallest living woman, her current titles include: the longest finger of a living female, the largest hands of a living female, and the longest back of a living female.
The Turkish native's condition has led to her using a wheelchair and a walker due to mobility issues.
Last week, Gelgi shared her excitement at being featured in the latest edition of the Guinness World Records for 2023 with Instagram fans.
"THIS IS THE BEST-SELLING BOOK SERIES OF ALL TIMES, AND I'M ON IT AND IN IT!" she wrote in all caps, alongside a short video showing off the book.
"@guinnessworldrecords kindly dedicated TWO entire pages to my story and record titles, and also gave me a place in the cover illustration. What a dream!"
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