What is necessary when an aircraft requests a frequency change?

When an aircraft requests a frequency change, it is essential to receive confirmation from air traffic control (ATC) to ensure a smooth and coordinated transition. This confirmation serves multiple important purposes:

1. Safety Assurance: By confirming the frequency change, ATC ensures that the aircraft is aware of the new frequency and understands the next steps, which is crucial for maintaining communication, situational awareness, and safety in the airspace.

2. Operational Coordination: ATC needs to manage traffic effectively and confirm the change to ensure that both the aircraft and the air traffic controllers are communicating on the correct frequency. This helps to avoid any potential miscommunication or misunderstanding about instructions.

3. Regulatory Compliance: ATC procedures and regulations dictate that pilots must receive an acknowledgment from the controller before making any changes. This is part of maintaining an orderly flow of air traffic.

In this context, simply following the request immediately, verifying the pilot's identity, or relaying the request to another sector would not fulfill the need for clear communication and operational safety that comes with receiving proper confirmation from ATC.