Learn Italian: L'atterraggio è vicino, infatti scendiamo. - The landing is near, in fact we are descending.

Not always! While it translates to "in fact," Italian uses infatti strictly to confirm or agree with what was just said (like saying "sure enough" or "as expected"). In English, we sometimes use "in fact" to contradict someone or introduce a surprising twist, but you shouldn't use infatti for that in Italian. Here, the plane descending is the expected proof that the landing is near.

How is the word atterraggio formed?

It comes from the verb atterrare (to land). If you look closely, you can see the root word terra (earth or ground) inside it. The suffix -aggio is often used in Italian to turn verbs into nouns, similar to "-ing" or "-age" in English.

Why use the simple present tense scendiamo instead of a continuous form like stiamo scendendo?

In Italian, the simple present tense is very flexible and is commonly used for actions happening right now. You could use stiamo scendendo (we are descending), but the simple present (scendiamo) is perfectly natural and often preferred in everyday speech when stating a factual observation.

Why isn't there a preposition after vicino here, like vicino a?