World's tallest woman takes her first flight after airline makes special accommodations

Rumeysa Gelgi from Turkey has been recognized as the tallest woman alive by the Guinness World Records and holds multiple records due to her towering height, but she has always faced numerous struggles in day-to-day life. For example, Gelgi has never taken a flight because there is no seat that can fit her. Moreover, she can not stay seated for long-distance travel due to several physical issues caused to her stature. Turkish Airlines has found a solution for her.

Standing at 7 feet, 0.7 inches tall, 26-year-old Gelgi took her first flight in September 2022—a 13-hour journey from Istanbul to California—thanks to Turkish Airlines. The airline removed several seats to accommodate her needs, ensuring she could travel comfortably, as reported by CNN. The flight attendants provided exceptional care throughout the journey, which Gelgi proudly shared on Instagram, documenting her memorable experience.

Gelgi suffers from Weaver syndrome, which has accelerated growth in her body along with other symptoms. Gelgi couldn't help but praise Turkish Airlines for their hospitality on her flight from Turkey to San Francisco and back to her country, per Indy100. "This will be my first flight as well as my first travel overseas. But I believe that this experience will be a first for many individuals, not just me," she wrote at the time. "Because, as you know, the option of traveling as a stretcher passenger is generally reserved for patients who are being transferred from one intensive care unit to another."

However, Gelgi was unable to sit up for longer periods due to her scoliosis, which is basically a spine curvature disorder. In one of her Instagram posts she wrote: "Another wonderful flight by the one and only @turkishairlines. I can’t even thank the entire @turkishairlines departments, executives, staff and crew. A massive team worked so hard to make my journey to the USA and back unforgettable, and I’ll be forever grateful for the care, concern and support that every single personnel has shown. Thanks to @turkishairlines, I could make my biggest and most impossible dream possible."

Gelgi continued the caption by writing how she is back in Turkey after living her best life in the USA for six months, where she got to "learn, experience and grow as a person." She thanked everyone who followed her on this journey and is looking forward to exploring the world with Turkish Airlines "because this is certainly not her first and last plane trip." She shared several pictures on her social media along with the crew members of the Turkish Airlines, who can be seen serving her meals and other necessities as Gelgi lies on her stretcher.

According to Guinness World Records, Gelgi is an activist and a public speaker and holds five Guinness World Records titles. She also is a qualified front-end web developer. She formerly held the title of the world's tallest teen in 2014. Her genetic condition was first diagnosed at the Hacettepe University Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic, where she showed signs of being unusually large for a newborn. Even though none of Gelgi's relatives have displayed symptoms of Weaver Syndrome, they are all incredibly happy for Gelgi and supportive of her achievements.

"I've never been to school in person but completed my education via homeschooling," she writes on her website. "During the COVID-19 quarantines in 2020, I started studying Web Development since working in the tech industry was my childhood dream. Now I'm an aspiring self-taught front-end developer who has two professional certifications from two different global institutes." Ever since achieving her first record, Gelgi has taken it upon herself to educate people and spread awareness of her condition, becoming an advocate for positivity, diversity and research.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 17, 2023. It has since been updated.