Is it significantly worse than an iPhone? I've opened up iPhones 4, 5s, 7, 8, and 13 to do home battery swaps, and none were particularly horrid, especially if you'd not passionate about trying to restore the factory water-seal adhesive on newer models.

It’s a shitload of glue around the screen, so yes, it’s worse.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPad+Air+5th+Generation+Battery...