The Australian Maritime Safety Authority requested Qantas' help last week after a search and rescue aircraft found a raft drifting some 110 miles off the coast of Esperance.

They requested the diversion of the aircraft because there was going to be a gap between when the fixed-wing (rescue) aircraft had to leave the scene and a RAAF Hercules was going to be on scene and they didn't want to lose sight of the life-raft.

Qantas said Flight 475 carrying 226 passengers from Sydney to Perth was briefly diverted to monitor the life-raft. "The Hercules ended up making it there before we did so we weren't required in the end," a Qantas spokeswoman told Australian news outlets.

Three fishermen were later rescued from the life raft.