Maybe so ... Do Singapore have maintenance at CDG ?? EI have it at DXB and might even have restored the bird to 4
Do you mean EK? Yes, they do have maintenance for the A380 at DXB but they operate a GP7200 powered fleet and this was specifically an engine problem so hardly going to be much help for a Trent-powered aircraft. The decision to return to CDG was undoubtedly the sensible one, with SQ A380 technicians and support available, and probably the closest airport offering Trent 900 support at the time of the incident. Also, 2 hours 45 minutes out of CDG enroute to SIN the aircraft would still be over eastern Europe so I doubt DXB would have been any nearer.
Safety permitting, it is not an uncommon incident for aircraft that need to divert enroute to divert back to their point of origin or at the very least the nearest airport where the airline has a commercial and engineering presence, rather than just land at the nearest airport that could take the aircraft.