I understand going from 11 to 13 but, for the same $799, I just bought my Dad a new 6th-gen iPad Pro 12.9 M2 from Costco instead of a new iPad Air 13 M3.
The Air 13 is about 10% lighter but I think Dad will appreciate the 120Hz, mini-LED, and better speakers for his use case. I doubt he'll miss the performance bump from M2 to M3. This will be his first iPad.