where is search for ios9 on ipad air

Same place it was before. Swipe from the middle of the screen down.

Alternatively, swipe all the way to the left.

Use Search on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

I have the same problem, too (I think). i think you are talking about the search box at the top of the screen in the iBooks store (not the general search function for all of iOS 9). In iBooks, when you go to the Store through the options on the bottom bar, Featured - NY Times - Top Charts - Top Authors, you will see a top bar with a search box on the right side. The search box allows you to input a query for the Store. But, if you click on a title in the Store to get a pop-up window of the book and then dismiss the pop-up by clicking on the background, the top bar whites out and the store search box is unavailable.

Be careful. I reported this problem in a chat with Apple Customer Support late on Friday the 18th. The rep said they could not duplicate the problem. (I just duplicated it today at my local Apple Store.) The Customer Service "solution " was to blame the iOS 9 download and update made through the device and to recommend a restore through iTunes. It didn't work! But it did initiate a 14 hr day of trying to make my iPads functional again.

There Is a temporary work around. When you get to the point where the top bar is whited out, click on My Books on the bottom bar, then go back to the store through, for example, Featured. The top bar is back and the search bar is again visible. But you will have to do this after each time you open a title pop-up.

On iPad 2 Air and iPad 3rd Generation, both running iOS 9.0

HI,

See also: The Search bar keeps disappearing in the iBooks Store.

I think Customer Service finally understands the problem. Let's hope it gets resolved soon.

Good Luck

This seems to be fixed in the iOS 9.1 release.