This has potential disaster
BUT
These handheld SAMs are designed for knocking down helicopters, not jumbo jets. They might knock out an engine, but in all likeliehood the airliner would not crash, unless the aircraft was targeted during landings or takeoffs when the aircraft was at low altitude and close to stall speed.
Which, oddly enough is within the threat envelope of a shoulder fired SAM...
All pilots regularly train on simulators, and aircraft are designed (even the the two engine ones) to survive the loss of an engine on takeoff or landing.
Situations like that DC-10 in Chicago that had en engine fall off had additional problems with the wing that made the aircraft difficult to control.
Most of the "airliners" shot down with MANPADS the article cited were commuter-sized aircraft in Africa.
It's POSSIBLE for a very lucky MANPADS shot to take down an airliner, but unlikely; may require 10 different attacks before one is successful on a full size American airliner....