Can commercial airliners withstand the stress of travelling at supersonic/transonic speeds?

You will find it depends on the specific aircraft design. It's not so much whether they could handle the stress of supersonic flight, but whether they would be controllable at such high speeds. There are several main reasons why almost no passenger airliners are supersonic: 1.

Engine performance. In order to reach supersonic speeds you would need an engine that either a) had afterburner or b) was supercruise capable (i.e. Capable of supersonic speed without afterburner).

Only very few jet engines are truly supercruise capable, and they are mostly military engines. 2. Control.

When you approach supersonic speed, a strange phenomenon occurs. A shock wave is created, which starts out attached to the leading edge of the wing/tailfin. As speed increases towards mach 1, these shockwaves move back along the skin of the aerofoil.

There comes a point where this shock wave interrupts flow of air over the control surfaces (ailerons, rudder, elevators), and the plane is literally uncontrollable. ... more.

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