Six economy seats had to be removed from a passenger plane to accommodate the world’s tallest woman on a plane for the first time.

Rumeysa Gelgi, who stands at 7 feet, 0.7 inches tall, was named the world’s tallest woman by Guinness World Records last year.

Turkish Airlines adapted one of their planes to enable her to travel to San Francisco in September, removing six seats and replacing them with a special stretcher for her to travel on the 13-hour flight.

The 24-year-old had never previously been able on a plane due to her stature, caused by a condition called Weaver syndrome which causes bone overgrowth, among other things. Even as a child, she was too large to fit in plane seats. She typically uses a wheelchair or walker to move around due to her condition.

Gelgi shared a series of images of herself on the journey on Instagram and said that it was “a flawless journey from start to finish.”

“This was my first flight, but it certainly won’t be the last. From now on, I will be very honoured and happy to fly to different parts of the world with @turkishairlines. A heartfelt thank you to every single person involved in my journey,” she wrote.

Gelgi went to California to spend time advancing her career in software development and working with Guinness World Records.

Gelgi won her first Guinness World Record in 2014, when she was recognized as the world’s tallest living teenager before officially becoming the world’s tallest woman in 2021. A record she holds for being the woman with the largest hands, longest finger, and longest back in the world.