World's tallest woman finally able to fly for the first time by lying down the entire flight

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By VT

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On most flights, even being slightly bigger than average can immediately pose problems, with leg and seat space limited in coach class on pretty much every airline.

So spare a thought for Rumeysa Gelgi, the world's tallest woman, who stands at just north of seven feet tall, making air travel pretty much impossible for her.

Well, until last year.

The world's tallest woman was given the chance of a lifetime when Turkish Airlines offered her the opportunity to fly on an airplane for the first time.

Rumeysa, from Turkey, broke the Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager in 2014, before graduating to the world's tallest living woman at the age of 18.

Now, at 26 years of age, Gelgi still reigns supreme as the tallest woman in the world at 7ft 0.7in, per Guinness World Records.

Her towering height is attributed to Weaver Syndrome, a condition that causes the individual to experience large birth size, accelerated growth, and skeletal maturation, as well as limb, craniofacial, neurological, and other abnormalities.

Gelgi also holds several other records, including the largest hands, the longest finger, and the longest back of a female, making her a five-time world record holder!

Given her height, however, Gelgi has been unable to do the things that many of us take for granted. While she can definitely reach the top shelf in the cereal aisle at the local supermarket, her unique predicament means that she was unable to travel on an airplane until Turkish Airlines stepped in to turn her dream into a reality.

Posting about her experience on Instagram, Gelgi documented her journey from Istanbul to San Francisco.

"A flawless journey from start to finish with Turkish Airlines. I have so many people to thank.. Air Clinic officials and officers, Istanbul Airport staff, @turkishairlines team, all cabin staff including our cabin supervisor, San Francisco International Airport officers and medical team, customs police and many other departments that I can't count," the [translated] caption began.

Gelgi added: "But unfortunately, 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 organized a 'first flight' celebration above the clouds.

"Therefore, I would like to thank firstly Mr. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkish Airlines and then Mr. Ramazan Yaşa, the Manager of Customer Relations of Turkish Airlines who personally organized this whole process."

"This was my first plane ride but it certainly won't be my last. From now on it will be a great honor and pleasure to fly to different parts of the world with Turkish Airlines A heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has been a part of my journey. With my love," the post - which has racked up 1,800 likes - concluded.

The airline reportedly had to remove six seats in order to accommodate Gelgi - but it was all worth it to make memories for life. Turkish Airlines even responded underneath Gelgi's post, writing: "Hello Ms. Rümeysa, we are very happy that your flight went smoothly and your valuable feedback. We always want to do what we can for you and our work continues in this direction. Whenever you need us, we are here for you at Turkish Airlines."

size-full wp-image-1263223858
Credit: Instagram

Since her maiden flight, Gelgi has posted further plane-based content on her Instagram page, suggesting that air travel is becoming a little bit more commonplace for her since her first trip.

File this one under "Things you love to see".

Featured Image Credit: Marcos del Mazo/Getty

World's tallest woman finally able to fly for the first time by lying down the entire flight

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

On most flights, even being slightly bigger than average can immediately pose problems, with leg and seat space limited in coach class on pretty much every airline.

So spare a thought for Rumeysa Gelgi, the world's tallest woman, who stands at just north of seven feet tall, making air travel pretty much impossible for her.

Well, until last year.

The world's tallest woman was given the chance of a lifetime when Turkish Airlines offered her the opportunity to fly on an airplane for the first time.

Rumeysa, from Turkey, broke the Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager in 2014, before graduating to the world's tallest living woman at the age of 18.

Now, at 26 years of age, Gelgi still reigns supreme as the tallest woman in the world at 7ft 0.7in, per Guinness World Records.

Her towering height is attributed to Weaver Syndrome, a condition that causes the individual to experience large birth size, accelerated growth, and skeletal maturation, as well as limb, craniofacial, neurological, and other abnormalities.

Gelgi also holds several other records, including the largest hands, the longest finger, and the longest back of a female, making her a five-time world record holder!

Given her height, however, Gelgi has been unable to do the things that many of us take for granted. While she can definitely reach the top shelf in the cereal aisle at the local supermarket, her unique predicament means that she was unable to travel on an airplane until Turkish Airlines stepped in to turn her dream into a reality.

Posting about her experience on Instagram, Gelgi documented her journey from Istanbul to San Francisco.

"A flawless journey from start to finish with Turkish Airlines. I have so many people to thank.. Air Clinic officials and officers, Istanbul Airport staff, @turkishairlines team, all cabin staff including our cabin supervisor, San Francisco International Airport officers and medical team, customs police and many other departments that I can't count," the [translated] caption began.

Gelgi added: "But unfortunately, 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 organized a 'first flight' celebration above the clouds.

"Therefore, I would like to thank firstly Mr. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkish Airlines and then Mr. Ramazan Yaşa, the Manager of Customer Relations of Turkish Airlines who personally organized this whole process."

"This was my first plane ride but it certainly won't be my last. From now on it will be a great honor and pleasure to fly to different parts of the world with Turkish Airlines A heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has been a part of my journey. With my love," the post - which has racked up 1,800 likes - concluded.

The airline reportedly had to remove six seats in order to accommodate Gelgi - but it was all worth it to make memories for life. Turkish Airlines even responded underneath Gelgi's post, writing: "Hello Ms. Rümeysa, we are very happy that your flight went smoothly and your valuable feedback. We always want to do what we can for you and our work continues in this direction. Whenever you need us, we are here for you at Turkish Airlines."

size-full wp-image-1263223858
Credit: Instagram

Since her maiden flight, Gelgi has posted further plane-based content on her Instagram page, suggesting that air travel is becoming a little bit more commonplace for her since her first trip.

File this one under "Things you love to see".

Featured Image Credit: Marcos del Mazo/Getty