World’s tallest woman flies abroad for first time as six seats removed to fit her

The world’s tallest woman was given the opportunity to fly on an airplane for the first time in her life after Turkish Airlines staff moved six seats to make way for her. Rumeysa Gelgi, who has held the Guinness World Record since 2014 for her 7ft height, excitedly boarded the 13 hour flight on Turkey’s flag carrier airline.

The 25-year-old usually transports around with her wheelchair as she suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Weaver syndrome which causes rapid growth, the Mirror reports. The Turkish world record holder flew from Istanbul to San Francisco in the US thanks to her native airline which removed six plane seats and disposed of them in a stretcher to accommodate Rumeysa’s unusual length.

Ms Gelgi announced her the news of her first airline trip on social media to her 19,500 followers. She said: “A flawless journey from start to finish… this was my first plane ride but it certainly won’t be my last… a heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has been a part of my journey.”

Rumeysa has flown to the US and will remain there for at least six months to further develop her technology software career and collaborate with Guinness World Records. She said she has “never been so excited for the future before”.

Gelgi who was recognised as the world’s tallest woman in 2021, having previously held the record for the world’s tallest teenager since 2014 has also broken Guinness World Record titles for having the largest hands on a living female person the longest finer on a living female person and also the longest back on a living female person.

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