World’s tallest woman takes 13-hour flight with special arrangements

The world's tallest woman took a 13-hour flight to Turkey (Image credit: @rumeysagelgi/Instagram)

The world's tallest woman, Rumeysa Gelgi, has flown back to her home country of Tukey after six months in the US. A flight with special modifications was arranged by Turkish Airlines to allow the 26-year-old to fly to Istanbul. Gelgi spent the nearly 13-hours-long flight on a stretcher that was built by removing six seats on the aircraft.

Rumeysa Gelgi, who is seven-feet-tall, thanked Turkish Airlines for making her “biggest and most impossible dream” come true.

“Another wonderful flight by the one and only @turkishairlines,” she wrote on Instagram. “I can’t even thank enough to all of @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.”

She also shared a series of pictures that show her at the airport and on board the flight, posing with the airline crew. The Guinness World Record-holder flew back from San Francisco to Istanbul on March 14.

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A post shared by RUMEYSA GELGI (@rumeysagelgi)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RUMEYSA GELGI (@rumeysagelgi)

Measuring in at 7 feet 0.7 inches, Gelgi is the Guinness World Record holder for the world’s tallest woman. She also has other world records to her name - largest hands (female), longest fingers (female) and longest back (female).

The 26-year-old is also an activist drawing attention to Weaver Syndrome -- the rare genetic mutation responsible for her unusual height.