Just rang the ticketing office in Dehli. Bad connection, and was eventually hung up on...... thinking this may not work out, at least with AA
I guess CX could ticket, although it would be more expensive..... okay, just got off the phone to CX Mumbai, and they seemed more helpful. Said that they could process by credit card over phone.
Adding the Indian service tax to the normal taxes and fees for an xonex will probably add anywhere from 20 - 30 percent to the cost(Indian 10.3 percent service tax + the normal 10 - 20 percent for taxes and fees). Flying to another starting point and commencing the rtw there would probably be beneficial.
A Done4 starting from BOM will be 360,350 Indian Rupees(~US$7750) + the 20 - 30 percent for taxes (lean more toward the high side depending upon what you do when you hit LHR). From Pakistan: done4 PKR633,270(~US$7389) + 10 - 20 percent taxes. From Bangladesh: US$7367 + taxes and fees as above. From Sri Lanka: LKR870,900 (~US$7734) + taxes and fees. If your friend makes their way to Yemen to start an
Aone4 will be about US$8421 + tax and fees (a DONE4 from Yemen will be about US$6050 +). Jordan: done4 JOD5100(~US$7256) +.
Before the prices went up Sri Lanka was a popular starting point for xonex, contact information for purchases possibly might still be found by searching in this forum. IIRC, at least one person has reported that they purchased and started in Pakistan in the last few years. Don't remember any reports of persons starting from India or Bangladesh.
Of course, if your friend doesn't want to do a positioning flight then the extra cost from India(provided you can get CX to ticket) doesn't really matter.