ALBANY – Gov. Cuomo was a high-flying fund-raiser in the last six months — thanks to campaign donors who lent him their private jets, the Daily News has learned.

A half-dozen contributors spent $145,583 to jet Cuomo to events in Puerto Rico, California, Buffalo, Syracuse, New York City and the Hudson Valley, according to records and his office.

The flights, legal under state law, were listed as in-kind contributions to either Cuomo or the state Democratic party.

They represented a fraction of the $6.2 million Cuomo raised between July and January.

Some of his contributors had business before the state.

Records show billionaire John Catsimatidis, the head of Red Apple Group and Gristedes Foods, twice donated the use of a private plane for fund-raising trips to Syracuse.

The value of the flights cost a combined $20,228, according to campaign filings.

Cuomo’s campaign “asked for [use of the plane],” said Catsimatidis, whose Red Apple company has lobbied the state over sulfur emission reductions and Indian cigarette tax issues.

“They said, ‘Instead of writing us a check, would you like to contribute?’ What do you say? You say yes.”

Stephen Green, the founder of real estate firm SL Green, lent his personal jet to Cuomo for a lucrative fund-raising trip to California. The flight was valued at $60,000.

A SL Green spokesman said neither Green nor the company — which has lobbied the state on various issues — had a comment.

Two flights taken by Cuomo showed up on the state party’s filing rather than his own.

800 XPI Holdings, a commercial transportation rental company located on Long Island, provided a flight to Puerto Rico, where Cuomo attended an annual gathering of state and city Hispanic politicians.

The in-kind donation was listed at nearly $48,000.

Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto argued that using donated flights is a better option than using state aircraft, for which previous governors have been criticized.

“Unlike previous

administrations and other state officials, this governor does not use state aircraft for political purposes,” Vlasto said.

Cuomo aides also said using private, rather than commercial, flights helps the governor maximize his time.

They added that the governor does not like to stay out of state over night or linger too long after political events.

Susan Lerner, of good government group Common Cause/New York, called the flights a “tricky area.” She credited Cuomo for not using the state plane for political events.

Lerner said the real problem is that New York campaign finance laws permit sky-high contribution levels.

“We need to fix the system and not criticize the people who use it as we allow it to exist,” Lerner said.

Cuomo has said he will unveil a campaign finance reform plan in the coming weeks.

A New York Public Interest Research Group study released late last week showed that over the past year, Cuomo received 79 of the 127 donations to campaign committees that were worth at least $50,000 or more.