It is a tall order for any airline.
But when the world’s tallest woman needed to fly home to Turkey from a trip to America, they rebuilt the plane around her.
Rumeysa Gelgi, 26, suffers from a rare medical condition that caused her to grow to more than 7ft tall and means she cannot sit in normal airline seats.
So Turkish Airlines gave her the high flyer treatment and ripped out three rows of seats to create a special bed for her flight to Istanbul on Tuesday, 14th March.
Rumeysa Gelgi won her place in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest woman in the world, measuring in at 2 metres and 15 centimetres (7.05 feet).
Because of her medical condition – Weaver syndrome – she normally uses a wheelchair to move around and cannot sit in seats lower than 55 cm.
Rumeysa was returning from a trip to San Francisco.
She uses her title, which she has held since 2014, to raise awareness about diseases and conditions such as Weaver syndrome.
Rumeysa can be seen in the photographs posing with staff from Turkish Airlines, who she thanked for their sensitivity.
On her website, Rumeysa says of her condition: “When I was born, I was the first case [of Weaver Syndrome] in Turkey and the 27th case worldwide.”
She added: “My rapid growth was stopped by a treatment that lasted from September 2003 to May 2006. At the beginning of the treatment, I was 1.72 cm tall. Medication was successful and I am no longer taller. In December 2013, I had Scoliosis surgery twice within one week.
“My spinal curvature, which was 65 degrees, was reduced to 38 degrees. My health is currently stable. No serious surgery or treatment is foreseen in the future. In addition, I take regular physiotherapy and swim to increase my muscle development. My spinal curvature, which was 65 degrees, was reduced to 38 degrees. My health is currently stable. No serious surgery or treatment is foreseen in the future.
“In addition, I take regular physiotherapy and swim to increase my muscle development. My spinal curvature, which was 65 degrees, was reduced to 38 degrees.
“My health is currently stable. No serious surgery or treatment is foreseen in the future. In addition, I take regular physiotherapy and swim to increase my muscle development.”
Rumeysa works as a web developer, saying: “During the COVID-19 quarantines in 2020, I started training in Web Development. Working in the technology industry was my childhood dream. I am currently a Full-Stack Developer who can build both the front and back of web applications.
“I have three professional certificates from three different leading educational institutions, the last of which is Harvard University.”
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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