Alitalia is losing 1m euros a day to labour and fuel costs, reports say

The list was mainly made up of buyout funds, but long-term commercial partner Air France-KLM was noticeably absent from the prospective buyers.

The Italian government is hoping to sell a 30.1% stake in the firm after failing to revive the business.

Alitalia shares closed up 3.56% at 1.134 euros in trade in Milan.

Air France-KLM declined to declare its interest saying current conditions were not right for a bid.

However, Italy's transport minister Alessandro Bianchi said the group could make a move in the future.

"In this phase, I think being on the sidelines is the wisest decision for (Air France), they are waiting to see what happens," he told La Stampa newspaper.

Optimism

Among the groups to have expressed an interest in the airline are US buyout group Texas Pacific, a consortium led by the chairman of rival carrier Air One, and Italian banking group UniCredit.

News of the offers prompted the government - which owns a 49.9% stake in Alitalia - to say it was "encouraged and optimistic" about the airline's future.

The comments came despite analysts voicing disappointment that no big names had thrown their hat into the ring.

On Monday, the airline warned that full-year losses would come in at a wider-than-expected 380m euros ($490.3m; �250.3m), as it revealed losses for the year to November currently stood at 197m euros.

Alitalia, which has suffered from frequent strikes and over-staffing, has not made an annual profit since 2002.