Atlas Air Cargo started in 1992. It was named like that after the famous Greek God Atlas, who supposedly carried the world on his shoulders. Their symbol is that of a gold man carrying a gold world on their planes' tails. At that time (1992), they had one Boeing 747 and were contracted by China Airlines.
In 1995 Atlas Air Cargo began trading publicly on the NASDAQ, and in 1997 it appeared on the New York Stock Exchange.
More recently, Atlas Air Cargo has acquired another cargo airline, Polar Air Cargo.
In 2001, Atlas Air Cargo introduced a new program of leasing and services, based on the ACMI model, which means that under this new program, Atlas Air Cargo planes would be more available for different operations , such as charter flights, etcetera.