FACTBOX-The gathering clouds in Alitalia's future

(Reuters) - An eleventh-hour rescue bid for Alitalia collapsed on Thursday as a group of investors withdrew its offer for the Italian carrier in the face of union opposition over job cuts, lower pay and longer hours.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had pledged to find an Italian buyer for the airline, would not throw in the towel but said the carrier was facing an abyss.

Following are possible next developments for Alitalia:

* Special administrator Augusto Fantozzi could start grounding planes if there is no money to pay for fuel.

He said on September 7 there were 30-50 million euros (23-39.5 million pounds) left and Alitalia needs 70 million euros a month to survive -- putting it perilously close to penniless.

Suppliers started asking for deposits and payments in advance as soon as Alitalia sought bankruptcy protection on August 29.

* The government might cast around for last-minute interest among major European airlines. Air France-KLM -- whose own bid for Alitalia was also scuppered by unions -- had said it could take a minority stake if the investor group bid went ahead.

Lufthansa has not commented on a specific bid but has frequently said Italy is an important market.

However, with high fuel prices battering airlines across the world, the prospect of taking on struggling Alitalia and its powerful unions is daunting.