How to save passwords on my ipad air

SSO-1 wrote:

I'm trying to save log in passwords on safari. I don't see keychain available under icloud settings.

You won't see "Keychain" in iPad settings. While keychain is the background service, for recent versions of iOS/iPadOS, you will access saved Passwords here:

Settings > Passwords

For older versions of iOS, the path differs slightly:

Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Website & App Passwords

See if this might help:

Manage passwords using keychains on Mac – Apple Support (AU)

Are you logged in on iCloud using your Apple 🆔 ?